Oh, but will it be forever?
by GoddessShizu
Summary: Set before the Etoile election. We all know what will happen with Nagisa and Shizuma, but what about the others?
1. Letting go

The night was pitch-black, the young silver-haired woman sitting by the window only illuminated by a single candle-light. She was gazing thoughtfully out the window at the whirling leaves in the cold autumn night. Sighing, she turned her attention to the writing pad on her lap, opened her elegant fountain pen and began to write.

_Kaori, my beloved Kaori,_

_it has been such a long time since I last saw your face, heard your voice, felt your caresses, tasted your lips… I miss you so much._

_I'm no longer the Etoile of Astrea Hill. I returned the necklace some days ago and found your letter._

_You want me to go on… I want that, too. And I think it may now be possible. Returning the necklace, I finally let go of you. I'll never forget you, our love or the wonderful time we spent together, but I hope and think I can move on now. Even though it is too late to do this with Nagisa._

_I made so many mistakes, Kaori. I regret them so deeply now…_

_When I met Nagisa, I was fascinated by her. She is so beautiful, so cute and sweet, so incredibly full of life…I fell for her head over heels. And she was so wonderfully shy…wooing her was fun and exciting…it made me feel alive again. Nagisa reached my heart. She was the first who could melt the layers of ice around it after your death. I finally saw colours in the world again, I heard the birds sing, I could smell the flowers, feel the warm summer wind on my skin. It was amazing. And everything because of this incredible young woman who had entered my life. _

_I know Nagisa has feelings for me. She has shown me a number of times what she feels and she told me, the night in the green house. She wanted me to say that I don't want her to run in the Etoile election. I don't want her to run…I think I don't have to tell you. I don't want her to share the intimacy of being the Etoile with Tamao or anyone but me. And I don't want her to carry the heavy burden on her shoulders. _

_It would mean growing up a lot faster than I want my Nagisa to grow up…my Nagisa. But she isn't. By my choice. And I didn't tell her that she shouldn't run. Instead I said how good a pair she and Tamao make. Which is true. But all the same, I don't want them to be the Etoile._

_You would probably ask why I told Nagisa to run and shoved her out of my life. When I spent time with her at the summer house and broke down because of your memory, I realised that I can't burden Nagisa with my past. Even if I have let go of you and want to move on, I need someone by my side who can cope with my pain and sorrow and help me to get over it. _

_Nagisa ran away that night…I don't think she is ready to deal with the task of helping me. She is so young, I was her first love and she should experience a first love which is fun and lively, carefree and easy. And I can't be that. So I let her go._

_But I will use these months until graduation to heal. And then I will start over new when I get to college. And maybe I will find a new love._

_But you will be forever in my heart, Kaori. Because you were my first love._

_Goodbye, Kaori, goodbye, my wonderful love. Until I reach the place where you already are, I promise to go on living in the world outside…_

_Love, Shizuma_

She read the letter to Kaori again and again, until she finally slipped it into the envelope and sealed it. Shizuma rose from her seat, blew out the candle and left Kaori's former room- the only room in which she could have written this letter.

Walking past her own room, the silver-haired, beautiful woman left the dormitory and followed the path into the forest until she reached the tree. Their special tree. Another place where she could remember Kaori lividly. The former Etoile raised the letter to her lips and placed a loving, gentle kiss on the paper before she took a box of matches out of her pocket and lighted the envelope. Shizuma held the letter until the fire got too close to her fingers, then watched it smouldering away into nothingness. "Goodbye, Kaori," she whispered as the last wisps of paper dissolved into black ashes.


	2. Miyuki's Wish

Miyuki paced in her room, starting at the bed, crossing over to the desk, walking a few steps toward the door and swinging toward the bed again. The bed upon which the letter lay. The letter from her family, concerning her future.

_Dearest daughter_ it began. They hadn't even bothered to use her name. But that was quite usual for those letters from her parents. Miyuki sighed. She'd gotten used to the idea that there would never be a close relationship between her and her parents a long time ago.

The letter went on to explain that her parents had been thinking about Miyuki's life after her graduation from St. Miator. Her engagement party was to take place at the end of April, her wedding was scheduled for the end of September or at the latest early October.

There was a ring in the envelope, from the man she had been promised to on the day of her birth. He had only been five years old at the time, not caring in the least about a potential future wife. The fact that someone shared her misery made it only worse for Miyuki.

She picked up the ring and eyed it with disgust. It was a beautiful ring, she supposed, made of a yellow gold band, with several diamonds set in a star pattern. A beautiful ring if received from someone beloved. But Miyuki had never met the man she was due to marry in a few months. And this ring did definitely not meet her taste.

She couldn't blame the man, she was a complete stranger to him. She could only blame him for submitting to this foolish plan, dreamed up by their families.

Dropping the ring and letter, Miyuki resumed her pacing, heading over toward the desk. In the center of the desk stood a framed picture of Miyuki and Shizuma.

Miyuki's eyes focused on the face of the silver-haired young woman. Shizuma… her dearest friend and so much more. She studied the emerald eyes, the fine-cut face, the gorgeous features. She felt so much for Shizuma. But the beautiful temptress had never looked at her for more than a deep friendship.

Even though, a thought had formed in Miyuki's mind over the past few hours of pacing since she had read the letter, which was why her steps always took her towards the door. Towards the door, but not through it. Her missing courage prevented her from taking the final steps.

Again, she looked at the letter, its content, and thought about what it implied. Standing next to a stranger. Vowing to love and honour him, no matter what. Putting on the guise of a happy bride. Spending the wedding night with him…and all the nights to come.

These thoughts pushed her off the bed. A last, short glance toward her desk and some quick steps through the room. Miyuki felt the cool metal of the doorknob in her hand. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and turned the knob.

* * *

It was long after midnight when Miyuki reached the room she was aiming for. Quietly, she slipped through the door, closing it when she had gone through. The sleeping form of Shizuma Hanazono stirred in her bed, mumbling something. Miyuki quickly crossed the room and knelt next to her best friend on the mattress. Shizuma glanced at her with drowsy eyes, seemingly not comprehending what Miyuki's intention was.

"Shizuma." Whispering the name nervously, the blue-haired young woman leaned toward her best friend and gently kissed the other girl.

"Shizuma, please," she murmured when their lips parted. Slightly puzzled, Shizuma yielded and kissed Miyuki again. The kiss lasted longer, became intense and deep.

Sighing longingly, Miyuki wrapped her arms around Shizuma's slender body. The former gently pushed her friend onto her back before sliding on top of her, kissing her constantly. Miyuki's hands cautiously stroked Shizuma's back, while Shizuma's lips began exploring her friend's neck.

Miyuki moaned. Her hands wandered from the emerald-eyed woman's back over her shoulders to her collarbone. Here she hesitated, not daring to move lower. Shizuma raised her head and looked into Miyuki's brown eyes. A teasing smile pulled at her lips as she shrugged her shoulders to let the thin straps of her wispy nightgown slide down her arms, baring her breasts almost fully. Miyuki stared.

Still smiling, Shizuma gently guided Miyuki's hand lower…and lower. First rather awkwardly, then more steadily, Miyuki stroked her friend's breast. The silver-haired beauty closed her eyes and sighed. It had been a long time since she'd been touched like that. She had spent the last semester pursuing Nagisa and hadn't done more than look at other girls. Well, maybe kiss some of them, but it had never gone further.

Miyuki's caresses pushed her toward the edge of self-control. Quickly, Shizuma unbuttoned the brown-eyed girl's nightgown and slid her hands inside, making Miyuki gasp. Bending her head, she resumed the passionate, deep kiss with the student-council president. Miyuki, becoming bolder by the moment, pulled up the hem of the former-Etoile's nightgown, finally pulling it over her head and viewing Shizuma in all her luscious glory.

"Like what you see?" Shizuma whispered with a naughty grin. Miyuki nodded, unable to speak. Still grinning, Shizuma gripped Miyuki's nightgown, tossing it unceremoniously onto the floor. Miyuki reached up and pulled her friend back close to her, kissing her, parting Shizuma's lips, allowing their tongues to play, while stroking her neck, her back, moving lower, and finally discovering that her best friend was only wearing a lacy string.

Feeling Shizuma's body so close, with nothing between them, Miyuki experienced sensations that she'd never dreamed of, a desire that bordered on physical 's leg slipped between Miyuki's. The silver-haired woman broke off their kiss, looked into her friend's eyes.

"Are you sure?" she whispered. "Yes, I am," came Miyuki's quiet answer.

"Good, I'm not sure I could have stopped." Shizuma's lips slowly moved to Miyuki's neck, nuzzling their way down to her collarbone, moving on to her breasts, where they continued their teasing until Miyuki squirmed and moaned in ecstasy.

Then, they moved lower and lower, removing the last bit of fabric covering the president's body. Miyuki slid into a maelstrom of lust and desire, her senses foggy until, a felt eternity later, she slipped into an exhausted, satisfied sleep.

* * *

Miyuki woke from a deep slumber. She felt someone's arm around her, a warm body snuggled up next to her. Smiling, she opened her eyes and saw Shizuma, sleepily blinking in the morning sunlight streaming in through the open curtains. "Good morning." Shizuma said quietly, also smiling. Miyuki's hand slid up her friend's side, slowly moving towards her breasts. Suddenly, she felt Shizuma's grip on her wrist.

"Miyuki…what happened last night?" The question seemed innocent enough, but there was a note of steel in the former-Etoile's voice, which told Miyuki that her explanation for the late-night assault of her best friend should be good or would not be accepted.

"I…well…it was just…the letter…and I was thinking…" The normally confident and poised student-council president was reduced to stumbling around, looking for words. "What letter?" Shizuma asked gently.

"I got a letter from my parents yesterday. They wrote that my engagement party will take place in April, and the wedding will be in September or at the latest in October. There was also a ring that I'm supposed to wear…a ring from him. And suddenly, I thought about my future. That I'm going to stand next to a stranger and vow to love and honour him, then I'll have to be the happy bride and after the wedding, I'll have to go to bed with him. Maybe not the first night, but eventually.

I'd be a virgin who had never experienced anything with a beloved person. I've been at this school with I don't know how many lesbians for six years and I haven't even gotten a proper kiss from anyone, let alone anything else. No one has ever approached me and I…well…"

Miyuki choked on a sob, tears already running down her face. Shizuma's smile had long left her lips, her expression sympathetic. She reached for Miyuki and drew her into a tight hug, gently stroking her friend's head while she sobbed onto her shoulder.

"Oh, Miyuki…" she murmured quietly. She couldn't comprehend what her best friend was going through because, thankfully, her father wanted her to make her own choices, also regarding the person she chose to spend her life with. After a while, Miyuki calmed enough to raise her head and look into her friend's eyes.

"Shizuma, I wanted to experience my first time with someone I love…and I do love you. Maybe not the way I would love someone I want to marry, but I love you. I have loved you enough to not look at any other girl since we first became room mates. I know you will never be more than my best friend…but I couldn't change my feelings. My love has changed over the years, especially when you and Kaori became a couple. But then, I became the student-council president, and I didn't take the time to look for love. And now…" Again, words failed her.

"Miyuki…" Shizuma considered what to say, choosing her words carefully. "Miyuki, I can share my body, my lust and my desire with you…but you know my heart belongs to Nagisa." Her voice broke slightly on the last words.

"I know…and I don't want your heart, Shizuma, because I couldn't give you mine." She studied the tear-filled emerald eyes. "You really love Nagisa…why did you let her go?" Miyuki asked quietly.

"Because…because I can't give her what she deserves. She suffered because of my memories of Kaori, because I couldn't let Kaori go while I was still Etoile. I was voted Etoile with Kaori and I was connected with her while I still was Etoile. And now, after returning the necklace, and after reading her letter, I feel that I can move on.

But Nagisa has suffered too much already. She is young, she should be happy and carefree, and her love and relationship should be the same. I can't give her that. I have let Kaori go, I have said goodbye to her, but I'll still need time to heal and get over it. And Nagisa can't be the person who helps me. She ran away that night at my summer home when I broke down."

Now tears were streaming down Shizuma's face and it was Miyuki's turn to hold her friend tightly.

"Shizuma, Nagisa is strong. I think you should give her and yourself a chance. She loves you as much as you love her. She didn't want to run for Etoile with Tamao because she didn't want to ruin her chances with you. One word from you and she would have been yours, Shizuma. No matter what happened before, she wants you in her life because she loves you."

Shizuma bit her lip, her tears slowly subsiding. She appeared to be in deep thought. "I'll think about it." She finally said.

"And your parents have set a wedding date?" she asked carefully, not knowing how Miyuki would react.

"Yes, they have." The blue-haired woman sighed deeply. "I don't want to marry that man."

"Then don't."

Miyuki laughed mirthlessly. "And exactly how am I supposed to do that? My family has arranged marriages for generations. There's no place for love in the Rokujou family tree."

Shizuma shrugged. "Doesn't mean that you can't be different. You need someone who will help you stand up to your family."

"You make it sound so easy…I mean, your father accepts that the heir to the Hanazono emporium is lesbian. But my family…I just can't picture that happening."

"Well, yes, my father does accept it. And his new wife does, too. But getting to that point wasn't easy, believe me." Briefly, Shizuma remembered the endless discussions with her father and stepmother concerning Masahiro's daughter's sexual preference.

"But seriously, Miyuki: if you found someone and were in love, you would stand up to your parents."

"Okay, hypothetically speaking, you may be right. But seriously, we have only a few months until graduation, I know every single girl on this hill and won't be able to get away to meet anybody. And in April, right after graduation, I'll become engaged and then married. There's no way I could find someone to fall in love with if you look at it realistically." Miyuki sighed again.

"Never say never, Miyuki. Remember what I said when Kaori died? I was certain that I'd never again meet someone who could make me feel like she did. And then Nagisa came…" Shizuma's expression softened at the thought of the beautiful redhead.

"And I know that I will also find someone after Nagisa," she continued, pushing her memories aside.

"You don't have to rely on that. You could simply give yourself and Nagisa a chance." Miyuki said simply.

Shizuma sighed. "I know. And I said I'll think about it. But if I decide against it, to spare Nagisa a lot of pain and sorrow, then I know I'll be open for a new person. But let's get back to you. You never know what's in store for you. Maybe you'll look at Kaname tomorrow and realize that you can't spend a single day of your life without her." Shizuma grinned mischievously.

Miyuki groaned. "Her of all people…I don't think so." She laughed. "But seriously. I had other dreams for my future. I wanted to go to college, maybe take over my dad's business or maybe open up something of my own. That won't happen. I'll be reduced to being a wife and bearing children."

"You know, that's an extremely bleak outlook." Shizuma patted her friend's back sympathetically. "But don't give up, Miyuki. I bet that there's someone out there for you. Maybe she's right around the corner. And even if you don't meet the love of your life on Astrea Hill, then you should still try to stand up to your parents and make your college dreams come true."

Again, Miyuki sighed. "I'm going to borrow your words: I'll think about it." Her eyes raked over Shizuma's luscious naked body. "Remember what you said about sharing your body, your lust and your desire? Is that still an option or was that only for last night?"

Shizuma grinned. "Liked it that much, did you? But I have to admit, I'm a bit starved myself…" She moved towards Miyuki, placing her lips on those of her best friend. For the next few hours, the two were blissfully occupied with each other.


	3. Training for Etoile

The next days were filled with preparations for the Etoile election. Miyuki in particular was busy trying to shape Nagisa and Tamao into the harmonic couple they had to be in order to win. Finally admitting defeat on the subject of dancing, she turned to the champion of elegance and beauty: Shizuma. The former Etoile agreed to coach the two girls, even though being in close proximity of Nagisa brought on feelings Shizuma had trouble handling. Late one evening, she knocked on Miyuki's door.

"Come in!" came the familiar voice from within.

"Miyuki, did you ask me to help Nagisa and Tamao just because Nagisa is hopeless when it comes to dancing or did you want to make sure that I really wouldn't be able to get over her?" Shizuma dropped onto Miyuki's desk chair, exhausted after a long day of school, studying and coaching.

"Well, if Miator enters a couple for the election, I want them to be as good as possible. And Nagisa won't be able to do this without your help, you know that. If there's the side effect of you thinking about your decision to go on without Nagisa, then that's not entirely bad." Miyuki smiled innocently.

"Nagisa really is hopeless, but Tamao is not good enough to teach her. Nagisa would need a partner who can really dance well, to at least feel what it is supposed to feel like. Then, she should be able to dance well with Tamao." Shizuma gazed at her friend thoughtfully.

"How about you show her? There's not a single person on this hill who can dance better than you." Miyuki suggested.

"Dance with Nagisa…do you have any idea what that means? How that would make me feel? And her probably too…" Shizuma's voice trailed off.

"I think I can guess what you mean. But we all have to make sacrifices for our school I know you have already made more than most girls…but would it be so awful to spend a few minutes showing Nagisa what dancing is all about?"

Shizuma took a while to think about Miyuki's words.

"No, it wouldn't be so awful. I'll do it tomorrow, but one dance will have to be enough." She stood up.

"I'm really tired. I'll go to bed. Thanks for listening, Miyuki." She bent to kiss her friend on the cheek before leaving the room and heading for her own bed.

* * *

The next evening, Shizuma bolted to her room before dinner, locking the door, glad to be alone. The coaching with Nagisa and Tamao had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. Sitting down at her desk, she reached for her diary in the small drawer.

_Dancing with Nagisa today…it was more than I could handle. My father taught me to dance when I was a little girl and he still dances with me whenever we meet. When he had finally accepted that I love women, he gave me a piece of advice that his father had given him when he learned to dance. "If you want to have sex with a woman, take her to the bedroom. But if you want to seduce her, do it in the dance". And that's the way I really learned to dance- by viewing it as a way to love and seduce. _

_So that is the way I danced with Nagisa…she felt it. I could see it in her eyes. And she responded. She didn't see or hear anything in that room except for me while we danced. And I know the others saw it, too. The looks on their faces gave them away. Tamao stared at me as if I'd just climbed out of a spaceship that had crashed through the ceiling and Miyuki looked at me as if she was seeing me for the first time._

_And I…I felt Nagisa in my arms, I saw her beautiful eyes gazing at me as if I was the most wonderful woman in the world, I felt her move with me…I can't do anything against it, I love her. I love her so very, very much. And I want her…so what can I do? The Etoile election is only two days away…I can't take this opportunity away from Nagisa and Tamao, I just can't…_

Shizuma carefully closed her diary and put it back in its place. Changing into a pair of comfortable flannel pyjamas, she climbed into her bed. Sexy and lacy wasn't her style tonight. She put on her earphones and beat down her memories and feelings with loud heavy metal music until she finally fell asleep.


	4. Etoile Election

Tamao woke early. Sitting up in bed quietly so she wouldn't wake her roommate, she looked at the sleeping girl in the bed next to hers.

"Nagisa-chan," she whispered, "you look so cute when you sleep!" Thoughtfully, she continued to gaze at her best friend. "I remember how you looked when you danced with Shizuma-sama…you will never look that way when we dance. And it's okay. I can't make you love me and I will move on. But I hope we will always be best friends, Nagisa-chan. And I hope you and Shizuma-sama will be happy, even if you and I become Etoile. I know you really love Shizuma-sama…you always say her name in your sleep."

Tamao hopped off her bed. "But now, it's time to get up!" she said more loudly.

"Wake up, Nagisa-chan!" Tamao called, kneeling next her friend's bed. Nagisa didn't even stir.

"Na-gi-sa-chan! Open your eyes! It's morning!" Tamao gently tickled the redhead's cheek.

"Whaaaaaaat?" Nagisa woke with a start and scratched her cheek. "Tamao-chan! That tickles!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"I'm sorry! But at least you're awake." Tamao giggled. "Today is really exciting! It's the Etoile election!"

"Hai, it is! I almost forgot!" Nagisa called.

"We have so much to do before everything starts! So let's get going!" Tamao jumped up and disappeared in the bathroom. A few minutes later, Nagisa heard the shower. She sighed and fell back onto her pillow and let her thoughts wander.

The dance with Shizuma…her emotions when held in the arms of the beautiful silver-haired woman. She loved Shizuma deeply and couldn't understand why the former Etoile had said that Nagisa should forget her. They had spent such wonderful times together…but Nagisa still couldn't forgive herself for letting Shizuma down at the summer home. But finding out about Kaori and seeing the former Etoile breaking down had been too much. Nagisa simply hadn't known what to do. So she had run. And destroyed everything between her and Shizuma.

Suddenly, Tamao stormed into the room, tearing Nagisa out of her bleak memories.  
"Nagisa-chan, get up! I can't believe you're still in bed! We have so much to do!" Tamao snatched Nagisa's blanket and threw it onto the floor. Nagisa jumped out of bed and allowed herself to be swept along with Tamao's enthusiasm.

* * *

Shizuma quickly left the building. She had just given flowers to the competing couples and…after giving the bouquet to Amane, she had looked into Nagisa's eyes. Well, stared. Nagisa's eyes had been questioning, asking her why Shizuma had pushed her away. Her emotions had overwhelmed her so much that she had needed a word from Tamao to come back to reality and continue her task.

Now she was wandering from place to place, visiting all the sites she connected with Nagisa. The greenhouse, the grand piano, and finally, the tree. The tree which was her and Kaori's place. Shizuma's feet had taken her here seemingly on their own, she hadn't thought about where she was going. The tree. It was connected with Nagisa. And more with Nagisa than it had ever been connected with Kaori. Leaning against the rough wood, Shizuma let her mind roam. It roamed right to one face, red hair, a very sweet smile.

"Nagisa…" The name escaped her lips against her will. Suddenly she knew what she had to do. There was a reason why only Nagisa's face appeared, why looking into the younger girl's eyes unnerved her so much. And now she knew the reason. Hoping that it wasn't too late, Shizuma turned and ran.

* * *

It was a moment that would never be forgotten on Astrea Hill: The beautiful Hanazono Shizuma, framed by the doorway, her long silver hair blowing in the wind, having torn the door open just as the new Etoile was about to be announced, calling Nagisa's name in a commanding voice.

Miyuki stared. There was nothing else to do. A few moments later, Nagisa and Shizuma had left the building. Miyuki smiled to herself. The Shizuma that had been lost when Kaori died was finally back.

After the ceremony, Miyuki looked for Tamao. The young girl was walking back to the dormitory all by herself.

"Hey, Tamao-san!" she called out while catching up with her.

"Hello, Miyuki-sama." Tamao turned around and smiled.

"Can I walk back to the dormitory with you?"

"Sure."

For some minutes, they walked in silence.

"So, are you okay?" Miyuki finally asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, I am." The smile on Tamao's face was sincere when she looked in Miyuki's face.

"Really?" Miyuki wasn't convinced that easily.

"Hai. Nagisa-chan is my best friend in the world. I was in love with her for a while, but now I love her as a friend. Well, more like a sister. I want her to be happy and I know she will be with Shizuma-sama. And I know she will always be my best friend."

"You are amazing, Tamao-san. And you are very strong." Miyuki looked at her with approval.

Tamao blushed.

"I just want Nagisa-chan to be happy and I want to be her friend." They had almost reached the dormitory.

"May I ask you a question, Miyuki-sama?"

"Of course."

"Are you okay with what happened?"

Surprised, Miyuki looked at Tamao and saw concern in the younger girl's eyes.

"Yes, I am. It is similar to your situation. I used to be in love with Shizuma, but that changed a while ago. And I know that Nagisa-san will make her very happy. She has already done more to heal Shizuma than I was ever able to. I have to admit that stings a little." Miyuki grinned. "But it was good to see her back to normal again today."

"Yes, that really was Shizuma-sama, I guess." Tamao laughed. "No one will ever forget this Etoile election."

"Well, let's wait and see what happens at the winter ball…that's the next big event." Miyuki also laughed. "Even though it will be hard to top."

"True." Tamao looked at the door of the dormitory building, then turned to face Miyuki.

"Arrigato, Miyuki-sama. It was very nice of you to ask me if I was okay." She smiled gratefully.

"Don't mention it, Tamao-san. And just call me Miyuki." She started to walk toward the building.

"Hai…Miyuki…" Tamao stood rooted to the spot and stared after the student-council president.

"Tamao-chan! Tamao-chan!" Yaya came running up to her friend. "There you are. I looked for you everywhere."

"Yaya-chan! I'm sorry! Miyuki-sama walked to the dormitory with me, I didn't know you were looking for me."

"That's okay, Tamao-chan. Do you want to come to the tea party later on? Tsubomi-chan, Chiyo-chan, Kizuna-chan and Remon-chan will be there, too. I don't think Hikari-chan will come." Her face fell slightly.

"Yaya-chan? Are you okay?" Tamao took the black-haired girl's arm.

"Yes, I am." Yaya said hesitantly. "It's just…Hikari-chan will be very busy now and will spend very much time with Amane-sama. I'll miss her."

Tamao hugged her friend.

"She will be busy, but she will still need you to be her friend. Don't worry, Yaya-chan."

Hugging Tamao back, Yaya said: "I know. But it'll take some getting used to. So, are you coming to the party?"

Tamao hesitated. "Well, I want to be there when Nagisa-chan comes back. We have some things to talk about."

Yaya gave her a look. "Do you actually think Nagisa-chan will come back to your room tonight? I think she'll be spending the night with Shizuma-sama."

"I don't know…I think I'll pass this party. Maybe tomorrow night."

"Okay. If you change your mind, just come over. And if Nagisa-chan comes back, you can bring her."

"Okay. Goodnight, Yaya-chan!"

"Goodnight, Tamao-chan."

* * *

Late that night, Nagisa stood in front of the room she shared with Tamao. After what felt like an eternity, she opened the door and went inside. Tamao was still awake, lying in bed and reading a book.

"Nagisa-chan! Welcome back!" she called happily.

"Hello Tamao-chan." Nagisa stood uncertainly in the middle of the room, not sure how to start saying what she wanted to say.

"I…I'm sorry, Tamao-chan. I shouldn't have gone. I should have stayed with you."

"Nagisa-chan, I told you to go. It was the right thing to do. You belong with Shizuma-sama. You were the one who made her happy again after Kaori-san's death."

"But…but…I left you standing all alone on that stage…I hurt your feelings…I promised to be Etoile with you and then, I ran out!"

"Yes, you did. But you only wanted to be Etoile because Shizuma-sama told you to forget about her. And she realized her mistake before it was too late. I hope you two will be very, very happy with each other, Nagisa-chan. I only want what's best for you."

Tamao got up from her bed and hugged Nagisa tightly. "I love you as if you were my sister, Nagisa-chan. I want you to be happy and I want to be your best friend forever."

"Tamao-chan…" Nagisa returned the hug and buried her face on Tamao's shoulder, letting her tears run freely. The day had simply been too much, especially this unexpected understanding and accepting from Tamao.


	5. Life goes on

"Hikari-sama, can I walk you to class?"

"Hikari-sama, I have a present for you!"

"Hikari-sama, what are you doing after class today?"

"Hikari-sama, do you want to eat lunch together?"

Hikari ducked her head and walked toward her English classroom as quickly as possible. How had Shizuma coped with this craziness for such a long time? And Amane too, who had had a fan club for ages. She was sick and tired of it after half a day already. She heard footsteps hurrying until they reached her and rolled her eyes, awaiting the next wave of questions.

"Hikari-chan, there you are!" the voice of her roommate reached her ear. "I haven't seen you all day. Are you hiding?"

"Yaya-chan, I'm so glad it's you! I've been swamped by questions all day and I'm sick of it already. I have no idea how Shizuma-sama put up with it all this time." She sighed.

"Well, you and Amane are the celebrities of the school now. But I'll be your bodyguard if you want." There was a mischievous glint in Yaya's eyes.

Hikari smiled at her friend. "You know, that's a pretty good idea!"

Arm in arm, the two roommates walked into their classroom together.

* * *

Smiling, Hikari relaxed in the bathtub. Yaya had really helped her to get away from those crazy girls for whom she was the center of attention all of a sudden. Now, she had a tea party to look forward to and tomorrow, there would be school again.

But with Yaya's help, it wouldn't be so bad. And in the afternoon, she would spend her time with Amane in the greenhouse. Hikari's smile broadened. Life was good.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Nagisa walked along the sixth-year corridor towards Shizuma's room. The tea party had been a lot of fun, she was glad that she had decided to go. Well, actually Shizuma had decided for her. Since her graduation was coming up, she had much studying to do.

"So, go to the party, Nagisa. Then I can get some studying done. If you're there with me, I won't crack a book." Shizuma had run a hand through Nagisa's red hair. "And if you want, you can come to my room after the party." She had added with a teasing smile.

So now Nagisa was standing in front of the door, with a raised hand, about to knock. She was still nervous when it came to Shizuma, even though she knew there was no reason. But it was still so new…Pushing her nervousness aside, Nagisa knocked and opened the door.

"Sweetheart, there you are! I wasn't sure you'd come!" Shizuma put the book she'd been reading down, got up from her bed and moved toward her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, Shizuma. We had so much fun that we didn't look at the clock." She stepped into the older girl's embrace, closing her eyes and breathing in her fragrance.

"I'm glad you had fun, Nagisa. And I'm even happier that you're here now." Shizuma whispered, her face buried in Nagisa's hair.

Nagisa moved back a little, looked up and pulled her girlfriend's face down for a tender kiss.

"It's a bit cold here. Can we get under your blanket?" she asked shyly.

"Of course. Come on." Shizuma pulled Nagisa onto her bed, placing the warm blanket over both of them.

"Did you get some studying done?" Nagisa asked in the dark.

"Yes, I did. A lot, actually. It won't matter if I don't study too much the next few days. Then I'll have more time for you." Nagisa could hear the smile in Shizuma's voice.

"That's very good." Nagisa smiled.

Shizuma slipped her arms around her beautiful girlfriend and kissed her deeply.

"I missed you, Nagisa." She whispered in between kisses.

"I missed you, too." Nagisa replied, barely moving her lips away from Shizuma's to answer. But it didn't matter that they had missed each other. They were together, they were in love, and the night was theirs to enjoy.


	6. Planning the Winter Ball

The November day was unusually mild and sunny. Most girls of Astrea Hill were spending their morning break outside. Shizuma was lounging on the grass, Nagisa draped across her arm. Next to them, Amane and Hikari were sitting arm in arm, with Yaya and Tsubomi arguing about something not far from them. Tamao was sitting next to Nagisa, writing in her poetry notebook. Chikaru, Shion and Miyuki were walking toward the group.

"Hello!" Chikaru called to the other girls.

"Hello Chikaru-sama, Shion-sama, Miyuki-sama!" several of the group members answered. Tamao looked up, then quickly resumed her writing, hoping nobody noticed the slight blush colouring her cheeks.

"Hikari-sama, Amane-sama, don't forget the meeting after school today to make the last decisions for the winter ball." Shion sat down in the grass and pinned the Etoile couple with a stare.

"We won't forget the meeting, don't worry Shion." Amane said with a smile and tenderly brushed a strand of hair out of Hikari's face.

"The winter ball?" Shizuma perked up. "That means we will have to go shopping! Great! How about tomorrow? There's no school, we can leave in the morning and have lunch in town!"

"I'll come, of course." Nagisa smiled.

"I think we will be there, too." Amane said, looking at Hikari questioningly. The young girl nodded.

"I'll come, too. I haven't bought a new dress in ages." Tamao finally looked up from her notebook.

"How about you, Miyuki?" Shizuma looked enquiringly at her best friend. Miyuki threw a glance at Tamao, who was busy with her writing once more.  
"I'll come." She answered, hoping that no one had noticed her looking at Tamao.

"Great! That will be so much fun, going shopping with the whole group!" Shizuma looked pleased with herself for having the idea.

"What about you, Chikaru-chan?" Nagisa asked.

"Oh, I'll make something for myself. You know I love to design dresses." She smiled. "I'll come, too." Yaya decided.  
"Me, too", Tsubomi quickly added.

The next day, the group of girls invaded the clothing shops in the nearby town.

Yaya and Tsubomi disappeared right away into a corner of the shop, Hikari and Amane stood in the center, looking a bit lost. Shizuma cast several glances through the room and decidedly made a beeline for a certain rack of dresses. Tamao and Miyuki stood close to Amane and Hikari, while Nagisa couldn't decide if she should stay with Tamao or join her girlfriend. After a few minutes, Shizuma reappeared.

"Why are you standing around like turned off robots? The dresses aren't going to come to you." She grinned.

"Hikari, over there are beautiful pastel gowns that you would look stunning in." She pointed to a corner.

"Tamao, Miyuki, look over on the left side, I think that might be your taste and would look great with your hair." Shizuma pushed Miyuki gently in the direction of the dresses.

"And Nagisa, I think I found something you would like, come on." She grabbed her girlfriend's hand and dragged her to the back of the store.

Moments later, Nagisa found herself in a changing room with an absolutely beautiful wine-red ball gown and an excited Shizuma.

"Do you like it, honey?" she asked.

"Shizuma, it's gorgeous! But I don't think that I can afford it…" she murmured, searching for a price tag.

"Don't worry, sweetie. It's my present." Shizuma smiled. "Okay, ready to try it on?"

"Hai!" Nagisa nodded.

Moments later, Nagisa was looking at herself in the full length mirror. The dress had thin straps, showed a little cleavage and had a tight-fitting bodice, which was decorated with rhinestones. The floor-length skirt was wide, made from the same shimmering material as the bodice. To complete the dress, there was a wine red stola, made of crinkled silk.

"You look stunning, honey." Shizuma stared at her girlfriend.

Nagisa blushed. "I really like this dress. Arrigato, Shizuma!" She hugged the silver-haired woman happily.

"What are you planning to wear?" she asked curiously.

"Wait, let me change!" Shizuma disappeared into the next changing room. Moments later, she came back, wearing a tight, black dress that displayed her figure to full advantage. The dress was cut like a corsage dress, with one broad strap running over her right shoulder. The skirt was floor-length, with a slit on the left side that came up to the middle of Shizuma's thigh. Nagisa's jaw dropped.

"Shizuma…you look amazing…no one's going to be able to look away from you all night."

"I'm glad you like it." Shizuma smiled.

"Well, let's get you out of that dress and see what the others have found." She reached around to Nagisa's back and unzipped the dress.

"Okay. But let's not get out of here just yet." She whispered as she kissed her girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Miyuki and Tamao were gazing at several dresses in various shades of blue and turquoise. Tamao had already picked two, which she was planning to try on, while Miyuki was undecided. For some reason, the student-council president seemed to be lost in thought, not focused on the subject of picking a ball gown.

"Miyuki? Is everything okay?" Tamao looked at her questioningly.

"Yes…yes. I'm sorry, I've just been thinking about…something." She looked at Tamao. "Do you want to try on the dresses? I'll look some more later."

"Okay. Will you come with me and tell me which one is best?"

"Sure."

The two headed for the changing rooms. The first dress, a very simple dark blue dress that came to Tamao's knees, was alright, but nothing special. When Tamao left the changing room for the second time, however, she could tell by the look on Miyuki's face that this dress was perfect. The dress was made of a bright blue, sleeveless high-necked bodice, made from shiny material. It hugged Tamao's figure, showing it off nicely. The floor-length skirt was gathered and sprinkled with tiny sparkling rhinestones.

"That dress was made for you, Tamao." Miyuki said quietly.

Tamao blushed, surprised at how much Miyuki's approval meant to her.

Miyuki stepped closer to her.

"You look stunning, Tamao. You'll be the belle of the ball." Miyuki smiled.

"Oh, Miyuki, stop. I'll never be the belle of any ball as long as Shizuma-sama is there. And there are so many other girls far prettier than me." She smiled modestly.

"No, Tamao, there aren't. And even with Shizuma there, you'll shine." Miyuki looked at her sincerely.

"Tamao, I've been meaning to ask you…but the situation wasn't right…and I didn't know…I mean I still don't know…but…" Again, Miyuki was at a loss for words.

"Miyuki, just ask me. It can't be so bad." Tamao smiled.

Miyuki took a deep breath. "Okay. Tamao…will you go to the winter ball with me?" Nervously she looked at her feet. Tamao gaped at her. Miyuki wanted to go to the ball with her? Smiling, she stepped up to the student council president. Tamao gently raised the older girl's chin until she looked into her eyes.

"Yes, I'll go to the winter ball with you. On two conditions."

"Which are?"

"One, that you find a gorgeous dress, and two, that you kiss me now."

Without a word, Miyuki embraced the younger girl and kissed her passionately.

"I've wanted to do this for some time." She whispered into Tamao's ear when their lips finally parted.

"Me, too." Tamao admitted. "I don't know exactly when it happened, but after you walked back to the dormitory with me after the Etoile election, I've been thinking about you so much."

"I couldn't stop thinking about you either." Miyuki said. She quickly bent down and kissed Tamao again.

She chuckled. "It's crazy. I've known you since the day you started at Miator and now…I see you in an entirely different light."

"I'm glad we got to this point." Tamao murmured, her head on Miyuki's shoulder.

"Me, too, Tamao." Miyuki stroked the poet's back.

"But, Tamao?"

"Hm?"

"Would it be okay if we didn't exactly flaunt this?"

"Yes. I'm glad you want that. I want to get to know you without everyone nosing in." She grinned.

"Then maybe we should stop hugging and kissing in the middle of the store, with most of our friends just around the next clothing rack." Miyuki suggested.

"You're right. And we have to find you a dress, honey." Tamao giggled. "From Miyuki-sama to honey in just a few months" she mused.

"Okay, I'll change and then it's your turn." She disappeared into the changing rooms again, leaving Miyuki waiting in the store.

Miyuki remembered Shizuma's words: Never say never. And she made the promise to herself to break off the unwanted engagement. Her feelings for Tamao showed which way she was inclined. It wasn't just Shizuma. Or Kaori. Or the girls she had sometimes dreamed about. This, with Tamao, was real.

An hour later, the girls met back at the cash register. Everyone had finally found something to wear, even though it had taken Tamao, Shizuma, Nagisa and Hikari to get Amane into a gorgeous beige slim-cut pantsuit with an elegant midnight blue blouse.

Chatting happily, the girls left the store and went to the restaurant next door.

"I'm really hungry now!" Nagisa exclaimed when they had been seated.  
"That's nothing new, Nagisa." Tamao laughed.

Nagisa looked at her friend curiously. She seemed in a far better mood than she had been in for weeks. But when the blue haired girl caught Nagisa's eye, she just smiled and studied the menu she was sharing with Miyuki.

The girls spent the meal chatting about school, their shopping trip, the upcoming ball and every other topic they could think of.

"How about we have a tea party tonight? With everyone here?" Yaya suggested.

"That would be a tight fit in our room, but a lot of fun." Hikari said.

Shizuma, Miyuki and Amane looked at each other doubtfully.

"I haven't been to a tea party since fourth grade." Shizuma whispered to Amane, who was sitting next to her.

"It would really be great fun." Nagisa exclaimed.

"Okay, I'll be there." Miyuki said.

Shizuma and Amane stared at her. "We'll come, too." Shizuma said slowly, indicating Amane and herself.

"Great!" Tsubomi smiled at the girls sitting around her.

The tea party had really been great fun, even though it had been a tight fit in Yaya's and Hikari's room. Shizuma and Nagisa had just excused themselves, not being able to keep their hands off each other any longer. Amane was yawning and stretching.

"I think I'll get going, too. I have to get up early tomorrow to train with Starbright."

"Then I'll come, Amane-sama." Hikari got up.

In the general murmur of goodbyes, Tamao leaned toward Miyuki.

"Will you come to my room after this?" she whispered.

"Okay, but I think we shouldn't leave together." Miyuki answered.

She got up, too.  
"I'll also call it a night, girls. Thanks for inviting me, Yaya-chan. I haven't been to a tea party in ages and I really had a great time." Part of that great time was Tamao sitting extremely close to her, but that would remain a secret for the time being.

"Thank you for coming, Miyuki-sama. You can come to our next tea party, too, if you like." Yaya answered.

"Thanks, I'll do that." Miyuki promised before she closed the door.

Tamao poured herself a final cup of tea. Yaya honed in on her.

"Tamao-chan, what's going on? You've been so much happier since we left the store today. What happened?"

"I…I don't know what you mean, Yaya-chan. I guess I'm just happy about the dress I found." Tamao stuttered. She took a large gulp of tea in order to have an excuse to remain silent.

"Hm, if it was just the dress, then Tamao-sama wouldn't blush like this" Tsubomi teased.

"I'm not blushing…it's just the hot tea."

"Of course, the hot tea. Well, if you don't want to talk about it, then we will just have to wait until you lift your secret." Yaya grinned.

Gladly, Tamao put her empty tea cup down.

"My tea is empty. I guess I'll go, too. It's really late already. Goodnight, Yaya-chan, Tsubomi-chan."

Tamao left the room as quickly as dignity allowed her to. As she unlocked her door, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Miyuki." She smiled.

Opening the door, she pulled her girlfriend into her room.

"Are you okay, Tamao? You look like you saw a ghost." Miyuki looked worried.

"No, it wasn't a ghost. Yaya-chan and Tsubomi-chan were giving me the third degree because they said I seemed so much happier ever since we left the store today." She blushed a brilliant shade of pink.

"I'm glad that I'm responsible for your happiness." Miyuki smiled, flattered. "It's something I would like to continue being responsible for," she whispered into Tamao's ear, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Tamao kissed Miyuki intently.

"I'm so glad this happened." She said quietly.

The two had moved onto Tamao's bed and had lain down.

"Me, too." Miyuki answered.

She kissed Tamao again and gently stroked her girlfriend's back. The blue-eyed girl closed her eyes and sighed contently.

They spent several hours kissing and talking about their lives.

"Miyuki? Can I ask you something?"

"What do you want to know, honey?" Miyuki lay on her back, utterly relaxed, with Tamao snuggled close to her.

"There have been rumours in the school…Rumours of an arranged marriage right after your graduation." Tamao said hesitantly. "Are they true?"

Miyuki sighed deeply.  
"Yes, they are. But I won't submit to this. I've never been in favour of arranged marriages, least of all my own. I'll stand up to my parents and make my own decisions."

"Really? And you're planning to do this not just because of us?"

"No. I mean, you are a very good reason to go through with it, but I never wanted this." Miyuki smiled.

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want you to risk problems with your family just because of me. Everything is so new, we don't know what will become of it. But if you were just interested in something to keep you busy until you get married, then I wouldn't want that. Is that understandable or am I making no sense?" Tamao asked worriedly.

Miyuki smiled. "I can understand you. And I want us to have a future together, if everything goes well."

"What time is it, Tamao?"

"Let me check. It's almost 5." Tamao said after a quick glance at her watch.

"I think I should go now, otherwise I'll fall asleep and Nagisa will find me here in the morning." She smiled.

Tamao sighed heavily and snuggled closer to Miyuki. "I don't want to let you go at all. But I guess you are right."

Miyuki turned for a final kiss. Half an hour later, she pulled away from Tamao.

"I really have to go now, sweetie." She said.

"Okay, then you better hurry, before we start kissing again." Tamao smiled.

Miyuki got up and straightened her t-shirt and shorts. With one last smile at Tamao, she left the room and hurried toward her own bed.

Shizuma looked at the young girl sleeping next to her, with a tender smile on her lips. Slowly, Nagisa woke up.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Shizuma said quietly, stroking Nagisa's hair.

The redhead smiled at the silver-haired beauty.

"Good morning, Shizuma."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I was really tired."

"I can imagine that…" Shizuma's smile could only be described as naughty.

Nagisa blushed furiously, remembering the night with her girlfriend.

"Well, you had to try on your dress for the winter ball. Don't blame me." She defended herself, blushing even more.

"I liked it." The emerald-eyed young woman answered. "I just hope we didn't keep Miyuki up."  
Nagisa coughed. "We weren't that loud." She pondered her statement for a moment. "Well, maybe a little."  
"Nagisa, I'm surprised the Sister didn't barge in here, considering how much noise we made." Shizuma laughed.

"Well, we'll see how Miyuki looks at us…We have to get up pretty soon or we'll get no breakfast."  
"Try lunch, honey. It's already past noon." Shizuma giggled at her girlfriend's astonished expression.

"Wow, we really did sleep long. Okay, I'll go take a shower. I'll hurry, so you can shower, too, before we go to the dining hall." Nagisa jumped up.

"We can save time if we shower together," Shizuma grinned suggestively.

"Shizuma! We'll never get any food if we shower together!"

"You may be right. Okay, sweetie, hurry."

Without another word, Nagisa disappeared in the bathroom.


	7. The Ball's aftermath

"I can't believe it's finally time for the ball!" Hikari jumped around the room, totally out of character. Amane, Yaya and Tsubomi stared.

"Who is this and what the hell did you do with Hikari-chan?" Yaya asked Amane, with a stern look in her eyes.

Amane shook her head. "I was just about to ask you the same thing, Yaya-san."

"Well, I should go to my room and get ready." Tsubomi said, keeping her eyes on Hikari. "I'll see you later." She quickly kissed Yaya on the cheek.

"I'll pick you up." Yaya smiled.

Amane caught Hikari in mid-hop.

"Honey, I'm glad you are excited, but what got into you?" She smiled at her cute co-Etoile.

"I don't know. I'm just excited about going to the ball with Amane-sama and I'm happy that the entire preparation is over. It was really stressful." Hikari gazed up at the tall young woman.

"You are so sweet, honey." Amane gently kissed Hikari. Yaya looked away, a bit uncomfortable. Noticing Yaya, Amane let go of Hikari.

"I'll get going, I want to look in on Starbright before I have to get ready. I'll see you later, sweetheart."

"Okay. Say hello to Starbright for me, okay?"

"I won't forget."

After Amane had left the room, Yaya stood up.

"I think it's great that you're so excited about tonight. I am, too. Let's get ready, we don't have that much time left."

Hikari went over to her closet and pulled out her dress.

"By the way…Are you going to spend the night in Amane-sama's room tonight?" Yaya asked innocently, her head in her own closet.

Hikari blushed. "I…I don't know, Yaya-chan. Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, I was just curious." Yaya tried to hide her own blush.

Hikari was looking at her dress, wondering which shoes would go best with it. Since she and Amane would be opening the ball, dancing the first dance, she wanted to look her best.

"Wear the light pink ones, they match." Yaya said, throwing a glance at the selection of shoes in Hikari's closet.

"Arrigato, Yaya-chan!" Hikari said gratefully. She took the shoes out of her closet and pulled on her dress.

"Yaya-chan? Will you zip me up?" she called into the bathroom where Yaya had disappeared.

"Sure!" Her roommate came, her hair messily piled on her head, one of her eyes made up, the other one still plain. Yaya quickly pulled up the zipper at the back of Hikari's dress, then looked over her best friend's shoulder, studying the young Etoile's reflection in the mirror. Hikari was wearing a pastel pink dress, which had a corsage, embroidered with tiny roses. The skirt was long and full and separated from the bodice with a sash.

"You look lovely, Hikari-chan." Yaya murmured.

"Arrigato, Yaya-chan." Hikari's cheeks matched her dress.

"If you want, I'll do you makeup." Yaya offered. "But first, I'll have to finish mine."

"That's really nice of you, Yaya-chan."

Hikari sat on her bed and waited until Yaya was ready to take care of her. Finally, Yaya emerged from the bathroom, showing off a short red dress with a gathered corsage. The skirt was only slightly longer than that of her school uniform. Her hair was flowing freely down her back, her eyes were accentuated with mascara and dark eye shadow.

"Wow, Yaya-chan! You look amazing!" said Hikari earnestly.

"Arrigato, Hikari-chan! Now let's do your hair and make-up." She pushed Hikari onto a chair in front of the mirror and grabbed a brush.

"I wonder how the others are doing." She mused while brushing out Hikari's light hair.

* * *

Exasperated, Nagisa wailed.

"What's wrong, Nagisa-chan?" Tamao poked her head out of the bathroom.

"My hair! It just won't do what I want it to do!" She pulled at the disobedient red strands.

Tamao took the brush and hair clips out of Nagisa's hands.

"Sit down, I'll help you." She began brushing and styling her best friend's hair.

"Are you going to the ball with anyone, Tamao-chan?"

"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering, you hadn't said anything. Who is it?"

"Miyuki-sama. She asked me a while ago. We decided it would be nice to get to know each other better, since our best friends are dating. She's really nice." Tamao's heart was beating fast when thinking about Miyuki. They had decided to keep their relationship a secret even from Shizuma and Nagisa for the time being, waiting for the perfect moment to tell them soon.

"I haven't noticed you spending time with Miyuki-sama. I must have been really occupied with Shizuma-sama." Apologetically, she smiled at the blue-haired girl.

"Don't worry, Nagisa-chan. You also had much studying to do lately. And Miyuki-sama and I haven't really spent that much time together." '…in public', she added silently, remembering the evenings she had spent with Miyuki in this room, when Nagisa had been with Shizuma. They hadn't done anything more than kissing and talking, but Tamao deeply cherished their budding relationship, feeling certain that they would go further when the time was right. No need to rush anything.

Nagisa seemed to ponder this for a while.

"Well, I think I should have paid more attention to you, Tamao-chan. You are my best friend and I want to be part of your life." She finally said.

With a slightly bad conscience, Tamao focused on Nagisa's hair. She felt a little bad hiding something from her friend, but she had promised Miyuki. Even though it would be nice to be able to talk to Nagisa about some things. After all, her relationship with Shizuma was further advanced than Tamao's with Miyuki. Considering that it was Tamao's first relationship, some questions did cross her mind now and then.

"There, all done!" Tamao fastened the last clip. "Is it okay?"

"It's perfect! Arrigato, Tamao-chan!"

A knock sounded at the door.

"And just in time!" Nagisa grinned. "I think that's Shizuma-sama. Is Miyuki-sama picking you up?"  
"No, we're meeting at the door. I'll come with you if that's okay?"

"What is okay?" Shizuma stood in the doorway, looking stunning in her sexy dress. Her hair was for once out of its usual ponytail, done up in a creative style, with just a few curled strands hanging about her shoulders and face.

"Shizuma-sama, you look sensational!" Tamao exclaimed.

"Arrigato, Tamao-san." Shizuma actually blushed slightly.

"Tamao-chan was asking if she could come to the dance with us because she is meeting Miyuki-sama there." Nagisa told her girlfriend.

"No need for that," came the voice of the student-council president from behind Shizuma. The former Etoile moved aside to make room for Miyuki in the doorway. Tamao looked at her girlfriend fondly. The tight-fitting ice-blue neck holder gown complimented her own bright blue dress quite nicely. Like Shizuma's, Miyuki's skirt was slit, even though it showed a little less leg.

"Well, let's hurry or we'll miss Amane-sama's and Hikari-sama's opening dance."

The four girls hurried toward the dancing hall, Shizuma and Nagisa walking arm in arm, Miyuki and Tamao behind them, keeping a safe distance from one another.

* * *

The door to the dormitory building fell shut behind them. Tamao pulled Miyuki tightly into her arms, kissing her girlfriend intensely. Kissing and stumbling, the two clumsily made their way to Tamao's and Nagisa's room, not even letting go of each other when Tamao unlocked the door, pulled Miyuki through and slammed it shut.

Within minutes, their elegant ball gowns, shoes and underwear lay discarded on the floor and they had fallen onto Tamao's bed.

"I don't know how I managed to keep my hands off you all evening." Miyuki gasped in between two kisses.

"It was difficult for me, too, believe me." Tamao answered breathlessly.

Miyuki again covered Tamao's lips with her own, parting them, allowing their tongues to play. Tamao sighed. Her hands roamed over Miyuki's neck, her shoulders, her back. Miyuki's lips moved to her girlfriend's neck, while her hands gently massaged the younger girl's breasts, causing Tamao to moan sensually.

"Miyuki…I want you…" Tamao's voice was sultry.

"I want you too, sweetheart," replied Miyuki huskily. She slipped beside Tamao, letting her fingers glide slowly across the blue-eyed girl's stomach, her thigh, then dipping between her legs. Tamao moaned as Miyuki's fingers worked their magic, pushing her relentlessly toward the edge of self-control until she climaxed.

"Miyuki…" she whispered when she had finally caught her breath again, gazing into her girlfriend's brown eyes. Her hands caressed Miyuki, moving lower and lower until they had reached their destination. The student council president closed her eyes. It was her turn to moan and gasp.

Suddenly, the door flew open and the light was switched on.

"It'll only take a minute, I've got the bottle right in my…" Nagisa's voice trailed off as she viewed the scene in front of her. The dresses, bras and panties on the floor, Miyuki and Tamao, tangled up in Tamao's sheets, staring at her with big eyes.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…" Nagisa blushed crimson.

"What's wrong, honey? Oh…oh my…I'm sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt anything." Shizuma appeared in the doorway. A grin formed on her beautiful face as she put her hand on her hip.

"Just friends, huh?" One eyebrow went up quizzically.

Miyuki and Tamao were caught in a blushing contest.

"Shizuma, I think we should just get the wine bottle and leave these two alone." Nagisa said, a smile pulling at her lips. She reached into her closet and grabbed the bottle of red wine.

"Yeah, you're right. Well, good night, you two." Shizuma grinned mischievously, took Nagisa's hand and pulled her out of the room, switching off the light as she went out.

Tamao and Miyuki stared at each other in the pale moonlight filtering in through the curtains.

"Well, so much for waiting for the perfect moment, "Tamao said. She and Miyuki burst out laughing.

* * *

"So…Miyuki and Tamao-san…" Shizuma grinned as she and Nagisa sat down on the former Etoile's bed.

"Tamao-chan told me today when we were getting ready that she and Miyuki-sama wanted to get to know each other better because you and I are dating and we're their best friends."

"Looked like they were getting to know each other quite well." Shizuma giggled.

"That was sooooo embarrassing!" Nagisa exclaimed, her face turning red at the memory.

"A little bit. But I'm really glad Miyuki found someone. Maybe she'll manage to stand up to her parents now."  
"And I'm glad Tamao-chan found Miyuki-sama. They're really cute together, I think."

"Right. And now we can go on cool double dates!" Shizuma exclaimed happily. "Then I can get to know Tamao-san better and you Miyuki."

"True. That'll be cool." For a moment, Nagisa dreamed of a future filled with fun and dates, shared with her best friend and her girlfriend.

"How about opening the bottle?" the redhead finally asked.

"Good idea." Shizuma smiled.


	8. Changes

Sighing, Miyuki stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. She had been trying to write a letter to her parents concerning her arranged marriage for the past two hours. The wastebasket, full of crumpled paper, gave testimony of her failures to express what she wanted to say.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I received your letter with the Engagement- and Wedding-dates and the ring._

_I refuse to wear this ring. I will not marry a man I don't even know. And I'm not interested in meeting the man you have picked for me. I met someone, a young woman here at school, and I'm very much in love with her. After graduation, I want to go to college and continue studying and I want a career in business. I'm not interested in being a housewife and I don't want to waste my potential. Ever since starting at Miator, I've been one of the top students in my classes, the only one better than me was and is Shizuma._

_I hope very much that you will respect my decisions and wishes._

_Sincerely, Miyuki_

Miyuki silently read the letter again. Deciding that it wouldn't get better, she slipped it into the waiting envelope, stamped the letter and went to the campus-mailbox so she wouldn't loose her confidence. She walked right on to her physics class, trying not to think about the letter any more.

Three days later, Miyuki, Tamao, Shizuma and Nagisa were sitting in one of the lounges around a low table, playing a silly card game and laughing their heads off. It took them a few moments to notice Chiyo, standing shyly next to their couches.

"Konbanwa Chiyo-chan!" Tamao greeted the young girl.

"Konbanwa Tamao-sama, Shizuma-sama, Miyuki-sama, Nagisa-oneesama." Chiyo almost stumbled over the words, turning slightly red.

"What can we do for you, Chiyo-san?" Shizuma asked.

"The Sister wants to see Miyuki-sama. There is a phone call for her in the Sister's office."

Miyuki's face turned several shades whiter than it normally was as she got up.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Tamao asked quietly.

"No, honey. I have to face this on my own." She turned and left the room.

"Arrigato, Chiyo-san."

When Chiyo and Miyuki had left the room, the three remaining girls looked at one another.

"That must be her parents on the phone," Shizuma voiced the other's thoughts.

"Poor Miyuki-sama." Nagisa sighed.

"I'm really worried about her." Tamao said quietly, concern filling her blue eyes. Nagisa moved to sit next to her best friend, putting her arm around Tamao's shoulders. The girls waited silently for Miyuki's return, each lost in her own thoughts.

After what felt like an eternity, Miyuki returned, her face tear-stained. Tamao jumped up and threw her arms around her girlfriend.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly.

Sighing, Miyuki dropped onto the couch, Tamao firmly in her arms.

"My parents expect me to come home this weekend. They are picking me up on Friday after class. Of course, they refuse to accept what I wrote in the letter." She wiped her eyes. "I really dread this weekend," she whispered.

Tamao hugged her tightly. "I'll think about you the whole time, honey," she murmured.

"We all will be thinking of you." Shizuma added quietly. She took Miyuki's hand.

"Miyuki, you knew it wouldn't be easy," she said.

"I know. And I'll get through it, but now, it's like going through hell." She looked at Tamao. "But you're worth every step of the way, sweetie."

* * *

Friday afternoon, Tamao sat on Miyuki's bed, watching the older girl packing her bag. She felt slightly ill. Judging by Miyuki's green-tinged complexion, she felt similar.

"Are you ready to face your parents?" she asked.

"No. But I'll never be, I guess." Miyuki threw a last glance into her bag.

"I think I have packed everything I need." She looked at her watch. "And just in time, too. The car should be here any moment." The student council president sighed.

"I wish I could be there with you."

Miyuki smiled. "You're so sweet. It would be great to have you with me. But it's only two nights, I'll be back Sunday evening."

She walked over to Tamao and kissed her. A knock sounded at the door.

"Miyuki?" Shizuma called.

Miyuki sighed deeply and opened the door.

"The car is here." Shizuma's voice sounded grave.

"That's it, then. Sayonara, Tamao."

"I'll see you Sunday." Tamao answered.

"I'll walk you to the car," Shizuma said quietly.

The two friends moved silently through the building. Only a few feet away from the door, Miyuki stopped.

"I don't want to go, Shizuma." She stated flatly.

"I know. But you'll have to. And I know you can do it," her best friend whispered as she hugged the student council president.

"Arrigato, Shizuma. I'll see you on Sunday." Miyuki sighed, shouldered her bag and walked out the door.

* * *

Sunday afternoon found Shizuma, Nagisa and Tamao huddled in Tamao's and Nagisa's room. They had been in this room for most of the weekend, neither Shizuma nor Nagisa wanting to leave Tamao alone with her worries concerning Miyuki and their relationship. They all jumped when a knock sounded.

"Come in!" Nagisa called.

Tsubomi opened the door.

"Konnichiwa," she said, indicating the three girls. "The Sister has a phone call for Tamao-senpai in her office."  
"Arrigato, I'll go right away!" Tamao jumped up and hurried out of the room.

After Tsubomi had also left, Nagisa and Shizuma looked at each other.

"Is this good or bad?" Nagisa finally asked.

"I really don't know. If that's Miyuki on the phone, I would say it's bad. Why would Miyuki call if she's coming back tonight? But it could be anybody calling, I guess."

Both girls lapsed into silence until Tamao finally entered the room.

"Tamao-chan! Is everything okay?" Nagisa called.

Tamao slowly walked over to her bed and sat down.

"My parents were on the phone. It seems Miyuki's parents called them. They are not exactly thrilled that I am the cause for Miyuki's refusal to get married to that man. My father yelled at me for about 10 minutes, wondering how in the world I could dare to cross someone as important and influential as Rokujou-shi."

"You know, Romeo and Juliet had it easy, compared to you and Miyuki," Shizuma murmured as she looked out of the window.

That got a laugh out of Tamao.

"Well, after I explained my side of the story to them, they calmed down, but not much. Even if they don't mind me loving another woman and strongly oppose arranged marriages, it was still Miyuki's father calling them and when it comes to business, it's Rokujou-shi's point of view that matters. And he could cause trouble for my family. I don't want to be the cause of that." Her voice trailed off.

"Tamao! Look at me!" At Tamao's words, Shizuma had whipped around and rushed over to the younger girl. Perplexed, Tamao obeyed.

"When Miyuki comes back today and you tell her that you don't want to be with her, for whatever reason you give, then it's quite possible that her resolve will crumble and she'll get married to that complete stranger. But," Shizuma paused, making sure that she had Tamao's complete attention,

"but she will not be happy. She will marry him, be a housewife, have his children and she will be unhappy and she will regret her decision. Miyuki has potential, she wants a career. And she loves you, Tamao. She loves you so very deeply. And she used to love me and I know that she also loved Kaori.

Do you honestly think that you are the reason she doesn't want to marry that man?" Shizuma paused, waiting for Tamao to shake her head, which she did, dumbfounded.

"Good, because you're not. You are a reason, but only part of the entire picture.

One: Miyuki wants to go to college, wants a career in business.

Two: she wants to be with someone she loves, not with someone she doesn't even know.

Three: Miyuki is definitely into girls. You're not the first. So why should she marry a man? If you break up with her, chances are that she still won't go through with the wedding. You would only hurt yourself and Miyuki." Shizuma breathed deeply. "God, I needed to get that out of my system."

Tamao sat on her bed, deep in thought.

"You're right, Shizuma-sama. I may be the reason that gives Miyuki the final shove to revolt against her parents, but it's more than just our relationship. I'll stand by Miyuki, no matter what she decides to do. If she wants to get married, then I'll support her, if she doesn't, I'll also be there."

"Oh, I bet she'll want to get married at some point in time. Just not to some man she never met." Shizuma grinned. "Come on, let's find something to pass the time until Miyuki shows up."

The three found a card game and managed to stay occupied until, in the evening, a soft knock sounded. Tamao leaped up and opened the door.

"Miyuki!" she called happily, pulling the older girl into the room.

"Tamao, I'm so glad to be back!" Miyuki embraced her girlfriend, burying her face in the younger woman's hair. "If I could just stay like this forever, holding you…" she whispered into Tamao's hair. After a moment, she let go and greeted Shizuma and Nagisa before sitting down on Tamao's bed.

"So, how was it?" Shizuma asked, sounding worried.

"Well, much like I expected. They yelled, I yelled, my younger brother even yelled. I tried to explain my point of view, they refused to see anything but their business.

My father actually listened when I told him about my college plans and a business career. He said he would have been happy for me to study, but as my future husband is graduating from college this year, he needs a woman in the house. My father also said that sending me to college was now entirely out of the question, after my antics with Tamao.

I have no idea how they found out Tamao's name, I didn't mention it. He said I couldn't be trusted, unmarried and free, at university with a bunch of reckless girls.

Then my mother gave me some bullshit about affection growing in an arranged marriage and husband and wife getting along fine. I dared to mention that I wasn't going to be content with getting along, I want love. She said love is way overrated and I should be happy that my match was made by people who love me and choose what's best for me, guided by reason and not by passion, which fades. What's best for me, yeah, right. What's best for my dad's partnerships in business is more like it."

Miyuki shook her head.

"And then, they told me that they'd called Tamao's parents." She turned to face her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, honey. I never mentioned your name. I guess you'll get a call from your family some time soon."

"I already did this afternoon. My parents don't mind me loving a woman, they just aren't too happy that I seem to be the reason why you don't want to marry that stranger and that your parents have a problem with that."

Tears sprang to Miyuki's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Tamao!"

"It's okay, really. Everything will work out somehow. I love you, Miyuki. I'll always be there for you, no matter what you decide to do." Tamao drew her girlfriend close to her.

"And I'll always be there, too. I know I haven't exactly been the model friend, but I really want to make it up to you, Miyuki." Shizuma said softly, kneeling in front of Miyuki.

"WE will be there. Me, too, Miyuki-sama." Nagisa sat down on Miyuki's side.

"I'm so glad you are part of my life." Miyuki drew Nagisa and Tamao into a hug and leaned her forehead on Shizuma's.

* * *

_Dear Miyuki—sama,_

_I have never met you and you have never met me. Even though, we are supposed to get married in a few months, after you have graduated from Miator and I have graduated from Tokyo University._

_I know you received a ring, supposedly from me. It was not, my parents picked and sent it without me knowing about it._

_Miyuki-sama, I'll just say what I mean to say: I don't want to marry you. I hope you don't take this personally. I have plans to work abroad soon, I have fallen in love with another student at Tokyo University and when the time is right, I would love to marry her._

_I hate arranged marriages and I don't want to support our parents' crazy plan, just so their businesses are combined by marriage. Hell, if they really want their firms to become intertwined, then I could start working for your father and if it's in your interest, you could someday maybe work for my father, in a high position. Or maybe your younger brother could. I have written a similar letter to both your parents and mine._

_I'm sorry if I'm crossing your plans, Miyuki-sama. I would really like to meet you someday, because I am quite curious who you are._

_I wish you the best for your final exams and hope you become happy in life._

_Sincerely, Toyotomi Yoshio_

Open-mouthed, Miyuki stared at the letter.

"Miyuki, do you have…?" Shizuma's voice trailed off when she saw her best friend standing motionless in her room, holding a piece of paper.

"This is great! Absolutely great!" Miyuki turned to Shizuma, a huge smile on her face.

"What's absolutely great?" The silver-haired woman asked.

"Here, read this, I've got to find Tamao." Miyuki shoved the paper at Shizuma, then ran out of the door.

"Things seem to be getting better," Shizuma murmured to herself when she had read the letter.

* * *

Sighing, Miyuki rubbed her eyes. Life was very stressful lately, with the exams coming up, the end of her arranged marriage, endless discussions with her parents. But finally, she seemed to be getting somewhere. Her parents were now willing to allow her to got to college and had given up on the subject of arranged marriages, claiming that Miyuki was now too old and any potential interesting candidates were already taken.

They had, however, taken up Yoshio's idea of working for them. Yoshio's parents were very happy about this arrangement, too, and had already asked if Miyuki might be interested in working for them after university.

Now, her parents only had to learn to cope with her and Tamao. But that would come in time. At least if Shizuma's prediction came true.

Tomorrow, her final exams would start. And then there would be a week of freedom before the results were given. Well, freedom…they had to plan the graduation ceremony in that week, she, as student council president, had to hold a speech, which she hadn't even thought about.

Graduation…her family would be there. They would meet Tamao. And then…well, she would just wait and see.


	9. Graduation

"We are actually leaving the school and heading out into the real world today." Shizuma grinned at Miyuki. The silver-haired woman had come into her best friend's room the night before, to reminisce about their time at Miator. Tamao and Nagisa had understood this ritual and had decided to throw a tea party with their other friends to pass the time.

"Yes, we are. And then it's moving into the apartment, getting ready for college, then summer vacation and then we'll start studying." Miyuki summed up the following months.

"I can't believe we are actually going to the same college and living together." Shizuma smiled.

"Me neither. But I guess it was simply supposed to happen that way. I mean, how high were the chances? We both applied at lots of colleges." Miyuki grinned. "Or were you hoping to get rid of me?" she teased.

"No way. I'm glad to be stuck with you for several more years." Shizuma got up from the bed. "But we should get ready now, we don't have much time. Are you nervous about your speech?"

"No. Are you nervous about yours?" Shizuma had achieved the best results of all three schools in the final exams, so she also had to hold a speech.

"No. It's not like I've never had to step up and speak to everyone," she grinned, indicating her time as Etoile.

Quickly, the two girls got into their gowns from the winter ball and pulled on the robes in Miator's school colours. They looked at each other. Shizuma had taken the time to put her hair up like it had been for the winter ball.

"You should do more with your hair, this is a really nice change from your usual ponytail." Miyuki grinned at Shizuma's expression.

"Are you crazy? That's way too much work for every day. Let's go."

* * *

Nagisa sat next to Tamao during the ceremony. The opening, which Amane and Hikari took care of…the first piece of music by the Saintly Chorus…Miyuki's speech, Chikaru's speech, Shion's speech…another piece of music…Shizuma's speech…the awarding of the diplomas…the speeches of the teachers and the Sister…and the final piece of music.

Nagisa felt as if she was underwater. After this, nothing would be the same anymore. Miyuki and Shizuma would leave in a few days. How would she and Tamao cope?

"Nagisa-chan! The ceremony is over!" Yaya whispered in her ear, nudging her to her feet, as everyone stood up to congratulate the parting students. After a long round of applause and some final words of Miator's headmistress, people began filing out of the room.

"Nagisa!" Shizuma suddenly stood in front of her girlfriend, her eyes sparkling excitedly, her normally ivory-pale cheeks flushed pink.

"Shizuma!" Nagisa pulled her into a hug, kissing her deeply. "Congratulations, sweetheart," she murmured.

"ShiShi!" A delighted squeal sounded, accompanied by running feet. Seconds later, a small figure hurtled herself into Shizuma's arms.

"Mimi!" Shizuma cried, delighted. "I'm so glad to see you! How are you, honey?" She held the young girl at arm's length and looked at her.

"I'm great. Who's that?" she pointed to Nagisa.

"Mimi, I want you to meet someone very special to me: Aoi Nagisa. Nagisa, this is my sister, Hanazono Midori."

Politely, Midori and Nagisa bowed to each other.

Nagisa curiously studied the young girl. She was about 11 or 12 years old. Her hair was long and the same silver as Shizuma's, but the eyes were a startling sapphire blue. The girl seemed pretty tall for her age, had a slim, but distinctly feminine figure, with Shizuma's beautifully cut face and even features.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Midori asked her older sister.

"Yes, she is." Shizuma possessively put an arm around Nagisa's shoulders.

"She's pretty." Midori stated flatly.

"Arrigato, Midori-san." Nagisa blushed at the complement.

"Shizu-chan! There you are! And of course, Mimi-chan found you first." The low, rumbling voice with a hint of amusement came from a tall, trim, silver-haired man, dressed in an expensive suit. Next to him walked a woman, younger than him, with dark hair, pulled back in a French twist, wearing a short violet cocktail dress.

"Daddy!" Shizuma let go of Nagisa and threw herself into her father's embrace. Nagisa felt a bit out of place at the happy family reunion. Then, she heard Shizuma's voice: "Daddy, I want you to meet someone: This is Aoi Nagisa." She turned to Nagisa with a big smile on her face.

"Hello, Nagisa-san." With a short bow, Shizuma's father greeted the young girl.

"Ko…Konnichiwa, Hanazono-shi," Nagisa stuttered, bowing nervously.

"And this is my stepmother, Hanazono Akemi." Shizuma introduced the woman.

Nagisa repeated her greeting, still nervous.

"There's no need to be nervous, Nagisa-san, we don't bite." Shizuma's father smiled at the young woman.

"Hai." Nagisa blushed crimson.

"Well, you don't meet your girlfriend's parents every day. I would be nervous, too." Midori said, a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

Nagisa stared at Midori with huge eyes, wishing that the floor would just open up and swallow her.

Midori's father stopped, turned towards his younger daughter, one eyebrow raised. "There's still no need for her to be nervous."

Nagisa giggled. "You look just like Shizuma when you do that, Hanazono-shi." A moment later, she looked completely mortified.

"I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Shizuma's father was laughing heartily. "Don't worry, Nagisa-san. I know that there are striking resemblances between Shizu-chan and me. And please, call me Masahiro."

"Hai, Masahiro-san."

"And you can call me Akemi," the beautiful woman told Nagisa.  
"Hai, Akemi-san." The redhead studied Shizuma's stepmother for a moment and noticed that she had the same sapphire-blue eyes as her daughter Midori.

"I would love to invite you two to dinner while we wait for the ball to begin," Masahiro looked quizzically at his daughter and her girlfriend.

"I'd love to go, dad."

"Me, too. But I still need to change before the ball." Nagisa said.

"How about you change now and then we go to dinner?" Akemi suggested.

"Cool, then I'll go look at ShiShi's room. I need to know what my life is going to be like after the summer." Midori grinned

"You'll start at Miator next year?" Nagisa asked.

"Hai. I'm really excited already." Midori grinned.

"Then you'd better look at Nagisa's room, MiMi. You won't get a single room until you're in sixth grade." Shizuma pointed out.

"Who wants a single room? Sharing sounds like much more fun." Midori said, a naughty grin very much like Shizuma's pulling at her lips.

"It is, believe me…" Shizuma answered.

"Okay, girls, we'll wait for you by the car." Masahiro said, already drifting toward the parking lot.

* * *

"Dad, Mom, Hiroki, I would like you to meet Suzumi Tamao." Miyuki nervously introduced her girlfriend.

"Tamao, this is my father, Rokujou Katsumi, my mother, Rokujou Nanami, and my younger brother Rokujou Hiroki."

Everyone bowed politely, if a bit uptight. Tamao had never felt so nervous in her life before.

"Konnichiwa, Rokujou-shi, Hiroki-san" she said, hoping she sounded confident.

"Konnichiwa Tamao-san." The three answered.

Everyone stood and stared silently. Tamao racked her brain for something to say, feeling very uncomfortable in the silence, being scrutinized by Miyuki's family.

"Um…did you enjoy the ceremony, Rokujou-shi?" she finally asked.

"Yes, very much so. Especially Miyuki-chan's and Shizuma-san's speeches. They were…" Miyuki's father drifted into a long discussion with Tamao concerning the two mentioned speeches. Miyuki breathed a sigh of relief. Hiroki moved over to her.

"You know, at first, I was a bit putt off that you're lesbian. But you've got damn good taste," he whispered into his older sister's ear. Miyuki grinned. "I know," she answered quietly.

"Even though I would have gone for that Hanazono-chick. She's hot as hell." His eyes drifted toward Shizuma and her family.

"Wow, look! There's a smaller version of her! I could ask Dad if that would be good match…" Hiroki's voice trailed off.

"I doubt that's going to work. That family does not do arranged marriages." Miyuki smirked. "But you could always try to win her over, I guess." Hiroki stared at her.

"An important, influential family that doesn't do arranged marriages? You don't really believe that, do you, Miyuki?"

"Well, try if you want. I'm going to find Tamao, Mom and Dad. We have some time to spend before the ball starts."

* * *

Nagisa lay in bed, thinking about the day. Next to her, Shizuma gently snored, having fallen asleep much earlier than her girlfriend for once.

Meeting Shizuma's family had been great, they'd had so much fun talking and laughing at the ball. Mimi, with her straightforwardness, would take some getting used to, tending to embarrass Nagisa every few minutes, but she was a great kid.

And the ball itself had been wonderful, too. Nagisa remembered watching Shizuma dance with her father- an impressive sight. And Masahiro had danced with Nagisa as well. She'd understood why Shizuma was such a wonderful dancer after that experience.

Tomorrow, her wonderful lover would move out of the Strawberry dorms…Nagisa didn't want to think about it. Well, at least she'd have someone to talk to who would understand her, Tamao and Miyuki had the same problem.

Sighing, she turned to look at Shizuma, sleeping peacefully after the eventful day.

'I wonder what the future has in store for us,' Nagisa thought. 'You at university, I have to stay here…and I still have two years until graduation. Will we manage?'  
She lovingly stroked Shizuma's cheek and watched the older girl smile in her sleep. 'Right now, I can't imagine ever being without you again. But I know you love me and I love you…so we'll make the best of it and see what happens.'

Smiling, she snuggled up to her girlfriend and finally fell asleep.

* * *

The next evening, Shizuma and Miyuki stood next to a mountain of suitcases and bags, waiting for the cars to arrive. Tamao and Nagisa waited with them, all four of them near tears.

"Remember, we'll come and see you in a few weeks on the weekend, after we've set up our apartment and taken care of our university stuff. And in the summer, we'll go on a trip together, before we have to start studying." Miyuki said bravely, struggling not to sniffle.

Tamao had her face buried on Miyuki's shoulder and nodded sadly. Nagisa and Shizuma also nodded, not really happy with the situation.

"I know, but it will be sooo different, without you two here. And we still have our exams coming up," Nagisa said glumly.

"Honey, don't worry, I know you'll do fine. And Tamao as well. Just look forward to our vacation." Shizuma pulled Nagisa into a tight hug.

"The cars are here." Miyuki heaved a sigh and stroked Tamao's hair.

In silence, they watched the two big cars pulling up to the dorm building. As they stopped, two men jumped out, greeted the girls and began piling Shizuma's and Miyuki's bags into the trunks.

"Well, this is it," Tamao said, sniffling. She hugged Shizuma, then pulled Miyuki close to her, not wanting to let her girlfriend go.

"I love you," she whispered into the older girl's ear.

"I love you, too," Miyuki answered just as quietly.

Nagisa was holding on to Shizuma as if there were no tomorrow.

"I don't want you to go," she murmured while her tears fell.

"Honey, I don't want to go. But I have to. I'll come and visit as soon as possible, I promise," Shizuma whispered as she stroked Nagisa's back and fought not to cry as well.

"Ladies? We have to leave or we'll be late," one of the men said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

Tamao gave Miyuki a final hug, Nagisa reluctantly let go of Shizuma and quickly hugged Miyuki.

"Bye, we'll see you soon," Shizuma and Miyuki promised as each of them climbed into a car. The doors were closed. Tamao and Nagisa stood and watched until both cars had disappeared into the distance.

"Come on, we should go inside," Nagisa finally said, taking Tamao's arm and pulling her towards the dormitory building. With a final glance down the street, Tamao followed.


	10. Weekend Getaway Part 1

Five weeks later, Nagisa and Tamao left the Miator school building after their last class on Friday. Since Miyuki and Shizuma had left, their friendship had deepened. They had spent numerous nights talking about their relationships, their dreams and their worries that the distance could become a problem.

So far, Shizuma and Miyuki had written several letters, but they hadn't said anything about coming to visit, only mentioning that the setup of their apartment and signing up a the university was taking more time than expected. Also, both women had to go and spend some time with their families, where they had gone the week before.

"What do you want to do this afternoon, Tamao-chan?"

"I want to do some studying, the exams are coming up," she answered.

"Maybe we can take some food and study at the lake, " Nagisa suggested.

"That's a great idea, Nagisa-chan!" Tamao was thrilled with the idea of spending the day at the beautiful lake.

Both girls rounded the corner and started toward the dorm building.

"Miyuki! Shizuma!" Tamao exclaimed when she spotted two familiar people standing in front of the door. She started running and threw herself into Miyuki's waiting arms.

With a happy cry, Nagisa followed, landing in Shizuma's arms.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Nagisa asked.

"We wanted to surprise you two." Shizuma answered.

"We've already talked to the Sister, we can abduct you two and take you to Shizuma's summer home for the weekend. Is that okay?" Miyuki looked from Tamao to Nagisa.

"You bet!" Tamao grinned broadly. "But I don't think we'll get much studying done."

"Don't worry, I'll teach you some French," Shizuma whispered huskily into Nagisa's ear, causing the red head to blush furiously.

"Well, then go and pack your bags." Miyuki instructed the two younger girls, who were already walking toward the building. "We'll wait here," the former student council president added, catching Shizuma's sleeve.

"If you go in there with Nagisa, we'll never get going," she gently scolded her best friend.

"I guess you're right. But admit it, you're hot for Tamao, too." Shizuma looked at Miyuki inquiringly.

"Yes, I am. But I'm going to wait until we get there. Oh, and we have to ask the two about the car for the road trip," she smirked.

A few minutes later, Nagisa and Tamao came running out the dorm door.

"Here we are, all ready to go!" Nagisa exclaimed.

"Great! Then we can leave." The four started walking toward the parking lot.

"Oh, by the way, we had an idea for summer vacation," Miyuki began.

"We though it would be cool to do a road trip."

"Wow, that would be great!" Tamao exclaimed. "But we have no car."

"Well, actually…" Shizuma smiled.

"Well, actually, Shizuma and I each have a car. It was a graduation present and we got them last week." Miyuki grinned broadly.

"Great!" Nagisa called out. "Then we can really have a wonderful summer!"

"There they are!" The four young women stood looking at two cars that couldn't be more different. One was a sleek, silver Porsche, the other a black Mercedes SUV. Both cars looked sensational and extremely expensive.

"So, which one is yours?" Tamao asked her girlfriend.  
Miyuki looked at her. "Take a guess."

"Hm…I would say the black one."  
"Exactly." Miyuki grinned.

Nagisa stared admiringly at the silver sports car. That was the car her beautiful girlfriend would drive around in. And hopefully, she would take Nagisa along for the ride quite often.

"Wow, I really like it," Tamao said.

"Which one do you want to take the road trip in?" Shizuma asked.

"Is that a serious question?" Tamao laughed. "We would never fit into your Porsche, Shizuma. And we couldn't take a single bag."

"Okay, you have a point." Shizuma giggled. She turned to Nagisa. "Honey, will you drive to the summer home with me in my tiny car?"

"Of course, Shizuma!" Nagisa cried happily and ran toward the Porsche.

Tamao and Miyuki moved toward the big car.

"We'll see you there later," Shizuma called as she climbed in and turned the ignition key.

Tamao closed the door and looked around.

"This car is really big," she said.

"It's the American model. You know everything's bigger over there." Miyuki answered as she fastened her seatbelt. "Oh, by the way, my parents said to say hello."

Miyuki started the motor and left the campus.

Tamao stared. "Really?"

"Of course. I wouldn't lie to you."

"No, I didn't mean that, I'm just…surprised." The blue eyed girl quickly said.

Miyuki smiled. "I know what you mean. I was pretty surprised myself. But they really like you, now that they've met you and spent time with you."

"That's amazing." Tamao said.

Miyuki placed a hand on Tamao's thigh.

"You are a wonderful person, Tamao. It's not surprising that my family likes you. After all, I love you."

"I love you, too." Tamao closed her eyes, concentrating on Miyuki's hand gently rubbing her thigh. It greatly turned her on. She opened her eyes and looked around the car.

"You know, this car is really big…" she smiled suggestively.

"Tamao…we have to get to the summer home, Shizuma and Nagisa will wonder where we are." Miyuki grinned, but intensified her massage while looking around for a place to pull over and spend some quiet time with her girlfriend.

"I think they'll find some way to fill the time waiting for us," Tamao smiled.

Finding a small opening between some trees, Miyuki pulled the car over and expertly parked it, hidden from view of the street. She turned off the motor and smiled at Tamao.

"My lady, the backseat is ours." She smiled lasciviously and climbed to the back of the car, pulling Tamao with her.


	11. Weekend Getaway Part 2

Shizuma looked at her watch. She and Nagisa had reached the summer home half an hour ago, even though they had stopped to buy some wine and groceries on the way. Miyuki and Tamao weren't there yet.

"Well, sweetie, I think Miyuki and Tamao were…held up by…something." Shizuma grinned suggestively. "Let's leave the door unlocked and share a bath."

Nagisa blushed.

"Hai. But…what if they walk in on us?"

Shizuma shrugged. "Then we're even."

"True." Nagisa laughed, remembering the incident after the winter ball.

A little while later, she and Shizuma were sitting in the bathtub, enjoying the warmth and the fragrance of the water. Shizuma slipped her arms around her girlfriend, who was sitting in front of her, her back turned toward the former Etoile.

"I've missed you so much," Shizuma whispered into Nagisa's ear as her hands wandered over the red head's body, gently stroking her breasts. Nagisa's breath quickened.

"I've missed you, too. I'm so happy we're here together," she murmured, enjoying Shizuma's intimate touches. When she couldn't stand it anymore, she turned and kissed her girlfriend passionately, returning the caresses. Finally, they were together again, close to each other.

An hour later, they climbed out of the now rather chilly water.

In the living room, they met Miyuki and Tamao.

"Oh, there you are. We didn't go looking for you because we didn't want to disturb you." Miyuki grinned.

"Well, we would have gone looking for you, but we didn't feel like driving back and checking every piece of forest on the way," Shizuma answered. "We bought dinner and some bottles of wine." Nagisa added.

"Wow, that's cool." Tamao exclaimed. "I'm really hungry!"

The four girls piled into the kitchen and began cooking their dinner, which they ate in the living room, drinking the first bottle of wine. After dinner, Miyuki opened the second bottle.

The four girls were comfortably draped across the living room furniture, sipping wine and chatting about the last few weeks. Tamao and Nagisa were curious about their girlfriends' college experiences, while the older girls wanted to know everything that had happened on Astrea Hill.

"…so then, Kaname found everyone laughing and stormed out of the room. She was so angry." Tamao finished her story, while Shizuma and Miyuki were laughing like crazy. When they finally calmed down, Miyuki said: "Well, you should have seen Shizuma when she tried to sign herself in."

"Miyuki!" Shizuma exclaimed, looking totally mortified.

"Come on, Miyuki, go on", Tamao said, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Well, she was supposed to go to the student's office, to meet with the professor who takes care of the signing in. She was late, as always, and ran up the stairs, knocked on the door and stormed into the room, without waiting for an answer. There was a woman in the room, sitting behind the desk. Shizuma went over to the desk, apologizing like crazy, not giving the poor woman a chance to speak."

Miyuki paused to heighten her listeners' expectations. Shizuma groaned and hid her face in her hands.

"Then, Shizuma pulled out all her documents and presented them to the 'professor', talking about her achievements in school and explaining how interested she was in the subjects she wished to study. When she finally closed her mouth and looked expectantly at the woman, she was quite surprised to see her grinning. Then, our former Etoile and top student of St. Miator took a minute to look around the office and finally noticed the cart with the cleaning supplies standing next to the desk and the rag the woman was using to clean the desk."

Tamao and Nagisa were giggling uncontrollably.

"Shizuma, I don't quite remember what exactly the woman said…can you help me out?" Miyuki innocently smiled at her best friend.

"She told me how flattered she was that I confused her with a professor, even though she was wearing an old cleaning smock. And she said how much she regretted not being able to help me with my signing in, but she would be sure to give my regards to the professor when she saw him. I managed to ask for the opening hours of the office the next day and got away as quickly as I could."

Shizuma looked at the laughing faces of her friends, very annoyed. Finally, she gave in and started laughing herself.

"Did you manage to sign in eventually?" Nagisa asked, still giggling.

"Yes, I did. The next day. And the professor didn't mention anything about his cleaning lady talking of my little fauxpas."

"Shows that he's a real gentleman." Miyuki stood up and stretched, a little wobbly after the wine. "I'm going to bed, it's late. Are you coming along, Tamao?"

"Of course I am!" She jumped up. "Good night, Nagisa, Shizuma." She turned towards the door and left the room, accompanied by goodnight calls from Miyuki, Shizuma and Nagisa.

"So, what do you want to do? Stay here or go to bed?" Shizuma gently stroked Nagisa's cheek.

"Well, going to bed would be nice…but it's so comfortable here." Nagisa closed her eyes and snuggled closer to her girlfriend.

"Then we'll just stay here." Shizuma whispered and leaned closer to the younger girl for a passionate kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Tamao and Miyuki came down to the living room to find Shizuma and Nagisa draped across each other, barely covered by a blanket, their clothes strewn across the floor.

"We should let them sleep a little longer and make breakfast." Tamao whispered into Miyuki's ear.

"That's a good idea." Miyuki didn't move, didn't look away from the sleeping couple. She had known for a long time that her best friend and the red-haired beauty were a couple, had seen them together, talking, playing around, hugging, kissing. But to see them like this seemed much more intimate, much more definite. Miyuki couldn't place the emotions she experienced at the sight.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Tamao gently pulled her towards the kitchen.

Nagisa awoke to the wonderful smells of breakfast. She opened her eyes, not quite sure where she was. Then she saw Shizuma lying next to her, still sound asleep. Nagisa's eyes drifted over the clothes on the floor. Quickly, she slipped out from under the blanket and pulled on her underwear, her t-shirt and her skirt. She then followed the delicious smells to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Nagisa-chan!" Tamao hugged her best friend. "Did our breakfast finally wake you up?"

"Good morning, Tamao-chan, Miyuki-sama. Yes, it really smells wonderful. Can I help with anything?"

"You could help me set the table. Since the weather is so gorgeous, we thought we should eat on the patio." Tamao pointed to the door in the kitchen, leading to a large wooden patio doused with sunlight.

"Hai." Nagisa reached for a tray and carried it outside.

Tamao turned to Miyuki.

"I think Nagisa and I have the table-setting under control. Will you go and wake Shizuma-sama?"

"Umm…sure…Give me a moment." Slightly dazed, Miyuki left the kitchen and went into the living room.

She knelt down next to the couch and looked intently at the sleeping Shizuma. The smooth skin, the long, dark lashes, the beautifully shaped lips. Acting on an impulse, she leaned forward and gently kissed the other girl's cheek. Shizuma stirred, making the blanket shift slightly, so that it slid down, revealing her to her waist.

Miyuki stared. No matter how well she knew Shizuma, she was always startled by her beauty. Noises from the kitchen shook her out of her observations.

"Shizuma! Wake up!" she called. Shizuma stirred again and mumbled something unintelligibly.

"Shizuma, come on! Breakfast is ready!" Miyuki tried once more.

"What?" Shizuma's eyes opened and she gazed blearily into the sunlight.

"Oh, good morning Miyuki", she added when she spotted her friend.

"Good morning to you, too. Come on, get up, put on some clothes and come out to the patio. Breakfast is ready and we may have to hurry if we want some. Nagisa and Tamao are already outside."

"Okay, I'll be out in a moment." Shizuma pushed away the blanket and began to collect her clothing. Miyuki stood in the doorway, watching her. A few minutes later, Shizuma was dressed enough for breakfast. The two young women went outside and joined their girlfriends.


	12. Back again

With a last tug, Nagisa pulled her bag into her room and looked around. She hadn't been here for several weeks, as she and Tamao had spent the summer road-tripping with Shizuma and Miyuki. It had been great fun, but saying goodbye to Shizuma and to Miyuki had been extremely tough after the long time spent together, in the car, the hotel rooms and the other occasions.

Tamao had been cornered by Shion and Chikaru, so Nagisa was alone in the room that the two girls shared. Suddenly, she was startled by a buzzing sound from her handbag. She smiled and pulled out the cell phone Shizuma had given her before saying goodbye.

**Hey honey! On our way to Tokyo now. Already miss u like crazy. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you!**

Nagisa smiled and quickly typed an answer, telling Shizuma that she also missed her and was looking forward to their phone call tomorrow. With a sigh, the redhead put away the phone and began to unpack her bag. When she was almost finished, the door opened and Tamao heaved a huge bag into the room.

"Tamao, you're finally here! What did Shion-sama and Chikaru-sama want from you?"

"Nagisa! I'm so excited! Shion-sama and Chikaru-sama want me to run for school council president of . Now that Miyuki's graduated, we need a new president."

Nagisa excitedly grabbed Tamao's hands.

"That's great! You would be a wonderful school council president!"  
"Oh, I've got to tell Miyuki about this!" Tamao reached into her bag and pulled out the cell phone Miyuki had given her after the trip. When she had typed a text message, she quickly unpacked her bags.

"So, what are we going to do today? There's no school until tomorrow and the afternoon has just started." She looked expectantly at Nagisa.

"Hm…", Nagisa thought for a moment. "We could go to the lake…and maybe visit the greenhouse. Maybe Hikari-chan and Amane-sama are already back. It would be great to see them."

"Hai, that's a good idea."

The two had just left the building when they heard a familiar voice calling their names. They turned and saw Yaya and Tsubomi running toward them.

"It's so good to see you! How was your summer? I heard that you went on a road trip." Yaya raised one eyebrow questioningly.

"Yeah, we went on a road trip with Shizuma and Miyuki." Nagisa answered, "It was really, really great. But I'll miss Shizuma even more now after spending so much time with her."

"What did you do?" Tamao asked her two friends.

"First, we went home to our families. After that, we spent some time together at the beach, with Yaya-chan's big brother." Tsubomi looked at Yaya happily.

"Yeah, it was great…" Yaya returned the look.

"So…did anything…happen?" Tamao was curious.

"What do you mean, Tamao-chan?" Yaya asked innocently.

Tamao turned bright red. "Well…you know…I thought…maybe…"

'I wish Shizuma was here', Tamao thought. 'She'd just ask if they were a couple!'

"Do you want to know if we're together?" Yaya came to Tamao's rescue.

"Well…yes." Tamao said lamely.

Tsubomi and Yaya looked at each other, a smile on their faces.

"Hai, we are", they said in unison. "And we're really happy."

"That's wonderful! Congratulations!" Nagisa and Tamao hugged their friends.

"So, we wanted to go to the lake and enjoy the afternoon. Do you want to come along?" Nagisa looked at the other girls.

"Sure. Then we can talk some more about our summers."

Arm in arm, the four girls went toward the lake to spend a sunny, carefree afternoon.

* * *

Later that night, Tamao lay in bed, listening to Nagisa's even breathing. Not feeling the least bit tired, she allowed her thoughts to wander and they wandered right to the memory of their first road-trip stop: A house on the beach, with a beautiful stretch of private beach, belonging to Miyuki's uncle. He was abroad this summer, so he hadn't minded his niece and her friends using his house. To tell the truth, he had been quite glad that someone had come to check on the house and he hadn't needed to hire anyone.

The girls had moved in, decided who would sleep in which bedroom, and had stormed the beach, spending a wonderful afternoon of sun-tanning and swimming. Later that night, they went into their bedrooms. Miyuki pulled Tamao into her arms and kissed her deeply.

"What do you want to do now?" she asked, her voice low and teasing.

"Well…I think it's quite obvious…" Tamao whispered between kisses.

"Here?"

"I hadn't thought about it." Tamao admitted. "Where do you want to go?"

"I've always wanted to do it on a beach…" Miyuki grinned. "And we have a private beach…and some big blankets…"

"Then what are we waiting for?"

They grabbed a blanket and found a beautiful piece of beach. Miyuki dropped onto the blanket and pulled Tamao down, kissing her passionately. Tamao's hand slid across her gilrfriend's smooth skin while her lips covered Miyuki's neck with kisses.

Miyuki moaned. Her arms pulled Tamao closer, her hands impatiently pulled on the younger girl's t-shirt. The poet let go for a moment to shed her t-shirt and proceeded to remove Miyuki's and her own clothing.

"You are so beautiful, Miyuki." Tamao murmured.

"YOU are beautiful, my darling." Miyuki whispered while stroking Tamao's back. The poet's hands roamed over her girlfriend's body, stroking and caressing, teasing and arousing.

Miyuki's lips moved across Tamao's neck, her chest, kissing her breasts, inching lower over her stomach and finally settled between her legs, letting her tongue play. Tamao moaned, enjoying Miyuki's caresses, lost in ecstasy. When the young poet was able to think again, Miyuki had snuggled up next to her.

"I love you, Miyuki", Tamao whispered.

"I love you, too."

"I think it's about time for my revenge…" Tamao let her hands slide across Miyuki's body, over her legs, between her thighs.

Her lips caressed her girlfriend's neck, her chest, her cheeks and her lips. Miyuki allowed herself to be swept along by her emotions, losing every sense of reality. Finally, she surfaced again, slightly surprised to find herself on a blanket on the beach.

She and Tamao lay in each other's arms, enjoying the sound of the waves and the stars above them.

"I wish we could stay here forever." Tamao whispered. "I really dread going back to school without you."

"I know it's tough. I'm going to miss you, too. But we'll see each other as often as possible. And it's only two more years until you graduate." Miyuki's voice was soothing.

Tamao sighed. "Two years is a long time…I wish we'd gotten together sooner."

The older girl laughed. "That would have been wonderful. But we can't change it, we can only make the best of our situation. And we have the summer."

"You're right. Can we go back inside? It's getting a bit cold."

They picked up the blanket, shook out the sand and slowly walked back toward the house. They had settled into bed and were just drifting toward sleep when some sounds jolted them awake.

"Ohhhhh yes…Shizuma…don't stop…Oh my gosh…ooohhhh…oooooh…oooohhhh…Shizuma, please…I can't stand it…ooohhhhh…oooooohh…oooooooohhhh!"

Tamao and Miyuki looked at each other and giggled.

"Sounds like they're having fun." Tamao whispered. "Good thing we went outside…"

Miyuki grinned. "Yeah. It's bad enough that they caught us after the ball."

The sounds from the other bedroom continued for a few moments, then stopped. Tamao snuggled closer to Miyuki and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, at breakfast, they had talked about the trip and their stay at the house. In a very conversational tone, Miyuki had said: "You know, the walls here seem to be as thin as paper. I could hear you sneezing as if you were standing next to me this morning, Shizuma."

"Could you? Well, it's just a beach house for the summer. I guess the walls don't need to be particularly thick."

Nagisa turned a bright red. "You only heard Shizuma-sama sneeze this morning?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.

"No, there were some…noises…during the night." Miyuki answered with a sweet smile.

Nagisa's face became even redder. "I…I'm sorry, Miyuki-sama, Tamao-chan. It won't happen again." she stuttered nervously.

"What do you mean, it won't happen again?" Shizuma stared at her girlfriend.

"Nagisa-chan, don't worry. We didn't mind." Tamao calmed her best friend. "And I think Shizuma-sama wouldn't be happy if it didn't happen again…"

* * *

Tamao smiled to herself. There had been noises in the following nights- from both rooms. The road trip had been great fun, even if she missed Miyuki. But they could talk on the phone, write to each other and see each other. So it wasn't that bad. And if she really became school council president, she'd have so much to do that the time would fly by.


	13. The new schoolyear

„Tamao, there you are! I haven't seen you all day!" Nagisa exclaimed as she entered her room one evening.

"Oh, Nagisa, I've been so awfully busy! I have no idea how Miyuki managed to be school council president, have such excellent grades and take care of Shizuma…no offense, Nagisa." she added.

"No need to apologize. I know Shizuma can be a bit…scatterbrained. I don't know how she would manage university without Miyuki." Nagisa giggled. "I was looking for you all day because I wanted to know if you'd like to go to town with me tomorrow. There's no school and we could browse a little, have lunch in a café…how about it?"

"Oh, Nagisa, that sounds wonderful. I'd love to go. But there's a meeting of the school council tomorrow and a meeting of the poetry club and I haven't even started working on the history project. I'm afraid I won't be able to go. I'm sorry." Tamao looked sadly at her best friend.

"Don't worry, Tamao. I understand. I'll just find some other way to spend the day tomorrow. Actually, I have to do some work on the history project myself." Nagisa smiled.

Later that night, she lay in bed, not able to sleep. Tamao had fallen asleep as soon as her head had hit the pillow.

Ever since Tamao had been voted school president, she had been busy with meetings, poetry or school. She was really working hard and Nagisa missed her friend. Even if it was selfish. Yaya and Tsubomi had eyes only for each other, Chikaru and Shion were as busy as Tamao.

And Hikari and Amane were occupied with their Etoile duties, as well as their own relationship, which was progressing rather slowly since they were both painfully shy. Nagisa had spent some time with Midori, but she was so much younger and had already formed a circle of friends around her.

Nagisa decided that she definitely needed some sort of activity to pass her time. But what? Still thinking, she finally fell asleep.

* * *

A few days later, Nagisa was still moping around and feeling bored. Not only was Tamao busy, Shizuma was busy as well and barely had time for a chat on the phone. Nagisa's school work was finished and excellently done, her grades were as high as they'd never been. She was happy about it, but studying wasn't exactly the perfect hobby.

And this book wasn't all that great, either. Or maybe reading just wasn't as much fun if you spent 90 percent of the day doing nothing else. With a sigh, the redhead put the book down and glanced at her watch. It was late and Tamao still hadn't come back to the room. Nagisa sighed again.

Suddenly, the door opened and Tamao stormed in.

"What a day! I'm so exhausted! I can't wait for this week to be over. Then, maybe life will be a bit calmer. What did you do today, Nagisa?"

"Oh…well…I studied some…finished my history project…read a book…tried to call Shizuma…read some more…that's it, I guess." Nagisa's answer was unenthusiastic.

"You seem bored lately…you need something to do. How about joining a club?"

"I don't know, Tamao. I'm no good at anything in the clubs. But you're right, I AM bored."

A soft knock sounded at the door. Nagisa jumped up, opened it and found herself facing Chiyo, their roomtemp.

"Hello, Chiyo-san. Come in!"

The young girl nervously entered the room.

"Good evening Tamao-sama and Nagisa-oneesama." she stuttered.

"Chiyo-san, what can we do for you?" Tamao smiled fondly at the young girl.

"I…I have some problems with mathematics and physics. The sensei told me to find someone to tutor me, so I'll be able to pass my tests and exams." Chiyo looked at her feet.

"Mathematics and physics…those are Nagisa's subjects." Tamao looked at her friend.

"I'd love to help you, Chiyo-san." Nagisa said honestly. "Let's start tomorrow, after lunch."

"Hai! Thank you so much, Nagisa-oneesama! I'll work very, very hard!" Chiyo's face blushed a light pink when she looked thankfully at her idol.

"Great. I'll meet you in the library."

"Thank you. I'll be there on time."

Chiyo said goodbye and left the room, leaving Nagisa and Tamao to themselves.

"Well, now you have something to do, Nagisa."

"Yes. And it's great to be able to help Chiyo-san. She is so sweet." Nagisa looked happy for the first time in weeks.

* * *

The next day, Nagisa entered the library and found Chiyo already waiting for her. The two girls spent several hours bent over Chiyo's books. Nagisa patiently explained different rules of mathematics to the young girl. Chyio listened attentively, asking questions and making notes.

"Okay, Chiyo-san, can you solve this problem here?" Nagisa pointed to a spot in the mathematics book.

"I'll try." Chiyo picked up her pen and began writing. After a few minutes, she looked up and pushed her notebook toward Nagisa.

"Is this correct?" she asked worriedly.

Nagisa looked over the numbers carefully.

"Hai. It's perfect! Great, Chiyo-san! I think it's enough for the day. How about going to the cafeteria? I'm hungry, and I heard they have great cake today."

Chiyo blushed. "Hai, I'd love to go!"

Excitedly, the young girl gathered her books and notebooks and shoved them into her bag. Going to the cafeteria with Nagisa would be the highlight of her day.


	14. University

„Shizuma, come on! We'll be late for class!" Miyuki stood by the doorway of their apartment, quite annoyed at her best friend and roommate.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, give me a second!" The exasperated voice of Shizuma could be heard from her bedroom. "I just can't find my shoes!"

Miyuki's eyes travelled through the hallway and settled on a pair of sexy, high heeled, white suede ankle boots.

"No wonder, they're here." She said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, thanks." Shizuma drifted into the hallway, wrapped in a cloud of silver hair and accompanied by the heavenly fragrance of some perfume. She was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and an expensive-looking emerald green silk blouse, which matched her eyes perfectly. Quickly, she slipped on her boots and grabbed her bag.

"I'm ready."

"Then let's go."

Miyuki grabbed her keys and shooed Shizuma out the door, locking it as she followed her friend.

Shizuma stopped suddenly and bent down, causing Miyuki to almost crash into her.

"What-" Miyuki exclaimed.

"The zipper is stuck, just a second." Shizuma nestled with her boots. Miyuki was distracted by the sight of Shizuma's firm behind in those jeans. It was definitely a nice change to see Shizuma dressed in something other than the school uniform- especially if it displayed her figure so nicely.

"Okay, everything's in order. Let's go." The silver-haired woman straightened herself and walked toward the elevator.

* * *

Later that day, Miyuki was sitting in her room, punching the keys of her cell phone. It rang several times, then the mailbox answered. Miyuki sighed and left Tamao a message. It was almost impossible to reach her girlfriend lately. The young woman sighed again and left her room to check if Shizuma had gotten home already. As she knocked on her roommate's door, her cell phone vibrated.

**Hey Miyuki! I'll be late 2night. Been invited to a party. Don't w8 up for me!**

Miyuki sighed for a third time and opened the door to Shizuma's room. It was a bit messy, the bed wasn't made and Miyuki could smell the perfume that her friend had put on this morning.

She dropped down on the bed and looked around. It was slightly chaotic, the desk cluttered with books, papers and letters, the walls plastered with pictures. Some of them had been taken on the road trip.

Miyuki stood up to get a closer look. She pulled one picture off the wall and dropped back onto the bed. The picture had been taken at the hotel in Osaka. The four girls had shared a room with two double beds, since nothing else had been available. They had been on the road trip for almost three weeks at the time and had become very close, dropping all the polite suffixes. Friends couldn't become closer than they were, they had thought. Amazing how they could have been so wrong…

That evening in Osaka, they had decided not to go out, but had gone to the room after dinner, with several bottles of wine, after already consuming quite some wine during the meal. Miyuki smiled, remembering…

"What do you want to do now?" Shizuma looked at the other girls, as she lighted the last candle and turned of the overhead lights.

"We could play 'Spin the bottle'." Nagisa suggested, just as Tamao said, "Let's play 'Truth or Dare'!"

"How about we play both? We can do one round with questions and one round with dares, alternating. And then, we can spin a bottle to find out who has to do the dare or answer the question." Miyuki grinned.

"Cool. And let's give the dares before we spin the bottle, but ask the questions when we know who has to answer," Shizuma said.

They started the game, beginning with rather tame dares and questions. But as their intoxication increased, they became more uninhibited.

It was Tamao's turn to spin. The bottle's neck ended up pointing toward Shizuma.

"Shizuma…"

"Shizuma," Tamao said again. "I want to know, do you ever …you know…love yourself?"

Nagisa and Miyuki gaped, but Shizuma didn't even blink an eye.

"Yes, I do. Why do you want to know?"

"Well, seeing as you always have some girl hanging onto you, I thought you wouldn't have the need." Tamao shrugged.

"Well, I have actually spent nights alone…especially ever since I fell in love with Nagisa. I barely slept with anyone since Nagisa transferred to Miator. And anyway, it's entirely different from sex."

"Well, you must be really quiet. I never heard you," Miyuki grinned.

Shizuma raised an eyebrow. "I'm not louder or quieter than when I have sex with someone," she said. "But who said that you were there when I made love to myself?"

Miyuki had suddenly had a vision of Shizuma's beautiful body, of her hands stroking her own breasts, sliding lower and lower, caressing her thighs, dipping between them, massaging her most intimate places. Miyuki felt her face grow hot.

"Shizuma, it's you turn to spin," she said quickly, hoping that no one would notice her changed skin colour.

Shizuma flashed her a knowing grin. "Okay, the one who the bottle points to has to strip down to her bra and underwear and stay like that for the rest of the evening." She spun the bottle. It ended up pointing to Miyuki, who sighed and pulled off her jeans, t-shirt and socks, revealing a lacy blue bra and matching string.

"Wow!" Tamao looked at her girlfriend admiringly. Miyuki blushed slightly and spun the bottle, which pointed to Tamao.

"Hm, a question…well, what I've always wanted to know: Literally everyone at Astrea Hill had a crush on Shizuma. How about you? Did you ever?"

Tamao stared at her girlfriend, growing pinker in the face with every passing second.

"Well…I…um…it…you know…um…" she stuttered. "Oh okay, yes. When I first started at Miator, I really had a huge crush on her."

"Wow, Tamao, I never knew that," Shizuma said, a teasing smile on her face. "But I definitely won't forget it."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't mention it again." Tamao grumbled. "Okay, the next one the bottle points to has to french-kiss Shizuma," she quickly said and spun the bottle. It turned…turned…slowed down…turned some more…and landed with the neck pointing towards Tamao.

"Oh no," she groaned. "I thought lightning never strikes twice!"

"Tamao, you did that on purpose!" Nagisa exclaimed gleefully.

"Come on, Tamao," Shizuma smiled at the young girl.

Miyuki held her breath as Tamao sighed and crawled across the carpet toward Shizuma. The teasing smile never left the older girl's face. When the young poet was close enough, the silver-haired beauty leaned forward and covered Tamao's lips with her own. A groan escaped the blue-haired girl. Knowing how Shizuma could kiss, Miyuki could imagine how Tamao felt. She glanced at Nagisa who seemed completely captivated by the scene in front of her.

The kiss didn't seem to end and Miyuki couldn't take it any longer. She moved towards Tamao and kissed her girlfriend on her cheek and her neck. Nagisa took the hint and began kissing Shizuma's neck as well.

Shizuma moaned. Her hands reached out and caressed Nagisa's arm and Miyuki's thigh. Miyuki closed her eyes, inhaling Tamao's fragrance and feeling every slight touch of those long, slender, sensitive fingers belonging to her best friend. A hand timidly slid across her back, Miyuki couldn't tell whose it was.

Lips brushed across her shoulder, a hand slid her bra strap down her arm. A pair of lips fastened on her own. Miyuki gasped as her bra clasp was opened. Two pairs of lips and as many pairs of hands were travelling over her body, arousing her. She had never experienced anything like this.

Her own hands reached out, searching for something until they finally found an arm. She stroked it, moving to the shoulder, across the chest, massaging the breasts.

Moans, groans and gasps were coming from around her, her own sounds mingling with the others. The two pairs of hands were joined by another one, just as two pairs of lips fastened on her nipples, causing her to gasp with surprise and lust. The third set of lips covered her flat, muscular stomach with hundreds of butterfly kisses.

Hands were stroking her arms, two were moving over her thighs, first on the outside, down to the knees, then they gently pushed her legs apart to stroke the inside, sending lustful shivers down Miyuki's spine. The gentle hands on her thighs were moving closer and closer to the only fabric covering her body, finally pulling off the blue string.

The former school council president closed her eyes, enjoying the caresses, moaning quietly. She felt a hand slowly moving down her stomach, pausing at her hip bone, wandering across to her other hip, before stroking her inner thigh gently. Miyuki's moaning became louder.

The kisses and the hand, stroking close to its destination, but not reaching it, were driving her completely crazy. She wanted to caress someone, something, anything, but her hands were refusing to obey. They simply wouldn't move.

The teasing hand between her legs still didn't give her the release she was craving. The blue-haired woman raised her hips, trying to get closer to the hand, but it didn't help.

"Please!" she begged, her voice husky with lust.

The hand didn't respond, but continued to caress her thigh, inching closer with agonizing slowness.

"Oh God, please!" she moaned loudly, feeling her desire almost painfully. Just one little touch…but the hand wouldn't quicken its descent. Her own hand snaked towards her lap, but was caught on the way and held fast.

"Miyuki, don't be so impatient," a voice gently teased.

The young woman squirmed, moaned, groaned. She couldn't remember ever feeling such desire in her life.

"I…can't stand…this…please…please…" Miyuki panted. Her legs parted further, her right leg tried to shake off the caressing hand, wanting to feel it. The hand finally settled between her legs, caressing the slippery skin, searching and finding its destination. Two fingers slid into her, pushing deeper, massaging her.

The blue haired young woman pushed her hips upwards, guiding her friend's fingers even deeper into her body. She panted, moaned, moved rhythmically, glad to be able to finally do something, feeling her desire mounting even more.

A pair of lips wandered across her stomach, moving further down until they settled between her legs, sucking and licking.

Miyuki's moans became louder. She felt like she was about to pass out. She couldn't breathe quickly enough, couldn't express the sensations rushing through her body with her moaning. The mounting tension, the mounting lust, it was all too much, she needed release, but it just wouldn't come. Only her desire was rising, rising above anything she'd ever felt before. Finally, she felt the first waves of an enormous climax approaching. As it reached her, she was overwhelmed, carried along, unable to do anything. She moaned loudly, her body squirmed.

Miyuki lay still, panting. Her hair stuck to her sweaty face, but she didn't have the energy to move her hands.

"Miyuki? Are you okay?" Tamao asked quietly, moving up to look at her girlfriend's face. The only response she got was mumbling. Tamao giggled.

Finally, Miyuki got her hands to move. She pushed her hair out of her face.

"God, what did you do to me?" she groaned. Her entire body was trembling. She moved slightly, shifting to get to a more comfortable position. "Hell, I'm soaking."

"You most definitely are," Shizuma said, lying next to her friend, putting a hand on her arm. Tamao snuggled up on Miyuki's other side, while Nagisa draped herself across Shizuma.

"Honey, you're trembling." Tamao sounded a bit worried.

"I know…but I'm okay…I think." Miyuki mumbled.

"Do you want a blanket?"

"I don't know…maybe…"

Tamao moved to the bed and pulled down a blanket, which she draped over all of them.

"It was so intense..." Miyuki whispered.

"And it all started with a kiss," Shizuma said, a smile in her voice. "I didn't think it would turn out like this."

"I think it was amazing," Tamao said quietly. She stroked Miyuki's hair.

"Yeah, I agree." Miyuki grinned.

"Me, too." Shizuma and Nagisa said in unison.

For a moment, no one said anything.

Shizuma broke the silence. "So…are you tired?"

"No, not really.", "No, I'm awake.", "No." were the answers of her three friends.

"Why do you ask?" Miyuki enquired.

"Well…I'm still a bit…itchy…"

"Oh…"

"But how about we move to the bed first? It's too uncomfortable on the carpet." Tamao suggested.

They had moved onto the bed and continued until they all fell into a satisfied sleep in the early morning hours.

* * *

Miyuki lay on Shizuma's bed, reliving her memories, slowly coming back to the surface of reality. Her hand had settled between her legs. She smiled to herself. That night had been amazing, but also a one-time experience. It had brought the four girls even closer. Still smiling, Miyuki rolled onto her side and slid into sleep.

Quite a while later, Shizuma entered the room. She turned on the light, quickly stripped off her clothing and proceeded to slip into bed.

"Miyuki! What are you doing here?" she whispered, startled.

"Hm?" Miyuki wasn't really awake. "I came here and fell asleep." she mumbled quietly.

"I can see that." Shizuma giggled. She noticed the photo lying next to Miyuki. Gently, she picked it up and returned it to its place on the wall. Turning off the light, Shizuma slid into bed and wrapped her arms around Miyuki.

"Do you mind if I sleep here with you?" she whispered.

"No, of course not." Miyuki answered sleepily, snuggling closer to Shizuma. Both girls quickly fell asleep.


	15. Fitting in

Nagisa lay on her bed, her hands crossed under her head. She had been tutoring Chiyo every day for the past two weeks. After their study sessions, they had always done something fun, for example eating in the cafeteria or taking a walk. Chiyo's next math test was coming up next week, and Nagisa was racking her brain for something nice she could do with Chiyo afterward, as a small treat for her hard studying. Maybe a picnic by the lake would be nice.

"What's up?" Tamao asked from her desk, where she was writing an essay for French class.

"Huh?"

"You're smiling. I haven't seen you smile for days. So what's up?"

"Oh, Chiyo-chan's math test is next week and I just decided to treat her to a picnic by the lake afterward."

Tamao smiled. "That's a sweet idea, Nagisa. Chiyo-san will really like that."

"You think so?" Nagisa asked happily.

"Yes, I'm positive."

Satisfied, Nagisa looked at the ceiling again, remembering the time she'd spent with Chiyo over the days. The young girl was so cute when she was pondering over a math problem or when she was looking at her tutor in deep concentration.

Nagisa was torn from her thoughts by her ringing cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, sugar! It's me!" Shizuma's voice sounded excited.

"Shizuma! It's great to hear your voice!" Nagisa felt happiness course through her body.

"Listen, I've got an idea. I have a study-free weekend ahead of me. Do you want to come and visit?"

"I'd love to! I don't have much to do this weekend and I really want to see you."

"Wonderful! You can take the train from the village and I'll pick you up at the station in Tokyo. Oh, I can't wait for the weekend to come! I'll send you a ticket."

"I can't wait either. But it's Wednesday already and I'll leave Friday right after class, so it's not really that long."

"Okay, I've got to go, sweetheart. I'll see you Friday! Bye!"

"Bye, honey!"

Nagisa hung up, a huge smile on her face.

Tamao was putting her papers into her schoolbag. "Was that Shizuma?"

"Hai. She invited me to come visit this weekend. Is…is it okay if I go? Without you?"

Tamao turned to her friend and smiled. "Nagisa, of course it's okay. I have absolutely no time this weekend, I have so much to do. Besides, she invited you, not us."

"Well, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you came along. And Miyuki would be thrilled." Nagisa said haltingly.

"Miyuki has exams next week, she'll be studying. It's really okay, Nagisa. I hope you have a great time."

"Okay…if you're sure…" Nagisa still sounded doubtful.

"Nagisa, stop it. Go visit your sweetheart, have a wonderful weekend and tell me all about it when you come back on Sunday, all right?"

"Okay, I will. Thanks Tamao."

* * *

Friday afternoon took its time to arrive, but it finally did. Tamao and Nagisa made their way to the train station, enjoying the sunny day.

At the station, Nagisa went to the ticket booth and picked up the ticket that Shizuma had bought for her, then went to join her best friend on the platform.

Tamao pulled a thick envelope out of her pocket.

"Can you give this to Miyuki?"

"Sure." Nagisa tucked it into her travel bag, just as the train arrived.

"Thanks for coming with me, Tamao."

"Don't mention it. I enjoyed the walk. Have a great time, say hello to Shizuma and give Miyuki a kiss, okay?"

"I will. Bye, I'll see you on Sunday."

"Bye, Nagisa!"

The girls hugged, then Nagisa boarded the train and found a seat by the window. She had planned to spend the trip reading, but she ended up day dreaming about Shizuma, checking her watch every few minutes to see how much longer she'd be on this train.

As the landscape sped past her and her thoughts were occupied with a certain silver haired beauty, Nagisa's eyes slowly drooped until she slumbered peacefully.

"Dear passengers, our train is now approaching Tokyo central station. Next stop: Tokyo central station!"

Nagisa awoke with a start. Tokyo. That was her stop. Quickly, she jumped up, gathered her things and moved towards the door. In a few minutes, she'd see Shizuma. An excited shiver ran through her body and her stomach felt as if she'd had live ants for breakfast.

'I can't believe how nervous I am,' she thought to herself. 'I've known Shizuma long enough not to be nervous. But maybe I'm just excited.'

The train slowed down until it finally stopped and the doors opened with a hissing sound. Nagisa was the first to jump out. She glanced around, looking for an impressive mass of silver hair. Suddenly, a figure ran toward her and a pair of arms wrapped itself around her.

"Nagisa! You're finally here! Oh, I missed you sooo much!" Shizuma screeched.

"Shizuma! You startled me! I missed you, too." She drew her girlfriend into a tight hug.

"I thought the day would never end. My classes have never been so awfully boring." Shizuma kissed Nagisa deeply, which caused the ants in the redhead's stomach to go into overdrive and move southward.

"I would be perfectly content to stay like this all weekend," she murmured.

"You can't be serious, my love. I've got a nice apartment room, with a big, comfortable bed in it…and we've been invited to a party tonight." Shizuma whispered in between kisses.

"A real college party? Wow!" Nagisa's eyes sparkled.

"Yeah, a real college party. Come on, let's go. Miyuki is dying to see you and I think she's home from her classes by now."

Shizuma took her girlfriend's hand and started walking towards the parking spaces. Nagisa noticed the older woman's outfit for the first time: tight jeans hipsters, a tight t-shirt, which showed her bare midriff and had a v-neck, and a sexy pair of heeled, white ankle boots.

"Did you come straight from class?"

"Yeah. I had an English lit. class that ran a little late. I drove like a madwoman to make it here on time." Shizuma smiled.

In Nagisa's opinion, the t-shirt showed way too much cleavage for a day in class. The entire outfit was too sexy, come to think of it. Shizuma had looked stunning in her Miator uniform, which covered a lot of the body, and she had had almost all the girls of Astrea Hill lusting after her. Nagisa wondered if anyone beside Shizuma was paying attention in her classes, if she always went to school dressed like that.

'Good grief, if I spoke this out loud, I'd sound worse than my grandmother,' she thought the next moment. 'I know Shizuma loves me, and won't look at anybody else. I have no reason to be jealous. I should be happy that I have such a beautiful, sexy girlfriend.'

They arrived at Shizuma's car and climbed in. While the former Etoile negotiated Tokyo traffic, Nagisa chatted about what was going on at Astrea Hill. After a short while, they arrived at an apartment building, in front of which Shizuma expertly parked the car.

"Here we are."

The girls climbed out and made their way to the apartment. As Shizuma stuck the key into the lock, the door opened to reveal Miyuki.

"Hi, Nagisa! It's so wonderful to see you!" Miyuki hugged the young girl.

"Miyuki! I'm really happy to be here!" Nagisa hugged her back. "I've got something for you, from Tamao." She pulled the older girl's head down and kissed her lips tenderly.

"Thanks, Nagisa." Miyuki said. "Could you please return her the same?"

"Sure, I will." She rummaged through her travel bag, then handed the blue haired woman the envelope. "This is for you as well."

"Thanks." Miyuki took it, then glanced at her watch. "Oh, I've got to run. I have a study group. I guess you'll be at the party when I get back, so I'll see you tomorrow."

The former Miator school council president grabbed her bag and left the apartment, leaving the other two young women by themselves.

"How about giving me a tour of your home?"

"Okay. This is the hallway. Come on." Shizuma took Nagisa's hand and led her toward a door, pulling her through it and drawing her close.

"And this…is…my…bedroom." She whispered in between kisses, steering Nagisa to the bed.

* * *

An hour later, Shizuma rolled onto her back, groaning and pushing strands of hair away from her sweaty forehead.

"I missed this."

"Me, too." Nagisa kissed her girlfriend softly and snuggled close to her side.

"But, love, we have to get up and get ready for the party."  
"Do we have to?"  
"Don't you want to go? You were so excited."  
"I do want to go. But I'd love to stay here and…continue."

"Oh, Nagisa, we have all night when we get back…and tomorrow…and tomorrow night. Anyway, we can take a shower together."

"Okay, you have a point. Let's go."  
After a long, erotic shower, Nagisa found herself back in Shizuma's bedroom, rooting through her bag, searching for an outfit that would be appropriate for a college party. But the perfect outfit was not to be found.

"I can't go to the party, I have nothing to wear!" Nagisa wailed.

"You can borrow something." Shizuma's voice came out of her walk-in closet.

"You've got to be joking. Your pants are way too long and I haven't got enough chest to fill your shirts." Nonetheless, Nagisa shuffled into the closet.

After a long search, she settled on a black, loose-fitting off-the-shoulder shirt, decorated with rhinestones, a pair of black leggings and her own shoes. While Nagisa was in the bathroom, fixing her hair and makeup, Shizuma finally got dressed herself.

"Okay, I'm ready to go." The redhead walked back into the bedroom, finally happy with her appearance, and gasped.

Shizuma was wearing a white men's shirt, unbuttoned and tied at the waist, over a black, tight tank top, with a short black skirt, about as long as the skirt of Spica's uniforms. On her feet, or rather her legs, were black thigh-high heeled boots.

"Good, then let's go."

A short taxi ride later, they entered the apartment in which Shizuma's friends lived.

"Hi, everyone! This is Nagisa." The former Etoile introduced her girlfriend.

"Nagisa, this is Ryo," she pointed to a tall, young man with a haircut like a manga character, dyed blue, and startling dark eyes, "this is Suki," a young woman with short black hair and brown eyes, "this is Kenji," a young man with a brown ponytail and brown eyes," and Johnny from Australia," a tanned man with bleached blond hair and light blue eyes, "and this is Ran."

When introducing Ran, Shizuma's voice sounded warmer than with the others, Nagisa thought. She looked closely at Ran. She was taller than Nagisa, with a slightly boyish figure. Her skin was a creamy light brown, her hair short and brown, with blond highlights, her eyes a stormy gray. She was quite pretty.

"Ran is in almost all of my classes." Shizuma added, smiling warmly at her fellow student.

"Nagisa, it's really nice to meet you," Ran said. "I've heard so much about you. Shizuma-chan never stops talking about you." Her voice sounded warm and friendly. Nagisa watched, frozen to the spot, as Ran's hand stroked Shizuma's arm.

"I see you haven't exaggerated. She really is extremely cute."

"Why should I lie?" Shizuma smiled again at Ran.

Ryo turned towards Nagisa. "Ran's right. It's really nice to finally meet you. Shizuma told me your parents are abroad. Where are they?"

"At the moment, they are in Australia." Johnny turned. "Did you say Australia? Where exactly?"

Nagisa answered and soon found herself wrapped up in a discussion about Australia with the two boys. She still tried to watch Shizuma and Ran out of the corner of her eye. The two had been joined by Kenji and seemed to be talking animatedly.

After a while, Nagisa realized that the two men had absolutely lost her, their conversation having centered on Australian politics, which was something Nagisa knew nothing about. She looked around the room, which had considerably filled since their arrival.

Shizuma was still talking to Ran and Kenji, so Nagisa went to join them.

"But I really don't agree with you. Poe's stories are really full of metaphors and you can find hidden meanings almost everywhere." Kenji was saying, looking at Ran.

"Yeah, I agree with Kenji," Shizuma said. "Just think about _The telltale Heart_. The old man is clearly a symbol for…"

Unbelievable. They were talking about their English lit. class at a party. Nagisa continued to roam through the apartment until she found a group of young women giggling about something.

"Yeah, and then we went to the movie theater." one was saying to her friends.

"Which film did you see?"

"I have no idea. Just after the lights had gone out, he opened his pants, pulled me on top of him, pushed my thong aside and…"

Nagisa drifted away from that group, having absolutely no desire to hear stories about sex with men. After listening in on some more conversation, most of them about classes, sex experiences or drug use, Nagisa plopped down on the sofa and entertained herself with looking at the people and imagining what she and Shizuma could be doing if they had stayed at home.

Some time later, Shizuma came to the sofa, carrying two glasses of wine.

"There you are, sweetheart. Here, I've brought you some wine."

"Thanks." Gratefully, Nagisa accepted the glass and drank.

"Are you having a good time?" The redhead looked at her glowing, happy girlfriend.

"Well…I don't know what to talk about with the others." She admitted.

"Oh, just join a conversation, you'll be fine."

Ran entered the room, looked around and made a beeline for Shizuma.

"I found you!" She dropped down on the sofa beside Shizuma, pecking her cheek.

"I think I haven't told you how absolutely hot you look tonight. Doesn't she, Nagisa?"

"Shizuma always looks hot." Nagisa answered without thinking.

"How true…when she sits in class with me, I always have such trouble concentrating."

"Oh, stop it, Ran-chan, you'll make me blush." Shizuma smiled, embarrassed. "And anyway, you look really hot yourself."

Ran did look hot, Nagisa admitted to herself. The tall woman was wearing leather pants, heeled boots, and a black, tight t-shirt with a glittering red dragon on the front.

Ran began a conversation with Nagisa about school. At first, the young girl was delighted, but then, she couldn't shake off the feeling that Ran was silently laughing at her. Finally excusing herself, Nagisa bolted out of the room, looking for the bathroom for a moment of privacy.

She locked the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes and heaving a sigh. This party was a nightmare. There was absolutely no one to talk to, and Shizuma seemed to be having the time of her life. She wondered how much longer she'd have to endure this before she could convince her beautiful girlfriend to go home.

A knock sounded at the door. Nagisa quickly opened, allowing a young man to push past her and vomit profusely into the sink. Shuddering, the redhead hurried away from the bathroom. She found Shizuma, in the middle of a crowd of young men and women, playing her admirers. And that they were: admirers. They were talking, laughing, and flirting with her Shizuma.

Pushing back her shoulders, Nagisa went to join the group, possessively hooking an arm around Shizuma's waist.

"Hey, love!" Shizuma turned her attention to Nagisa, kissing her passionately. Nagisa could tell that her girlfriend was a little drunk. That could be an advantage. Staying with the group for a while, joining in the laughing, talking and flirting, Nagisa succeeded in focusing Shizuma's attention on her. Bit by bit, she pulled the silver haired beauty away from the group, whispering to her how much she would love to be alone now and what she'd like to do.

Shizuma seemed to be in quite a hurry all of a sudden, saying goodbye to her friends and calling a taxi. Nagisa smiled to herself. At least she'd won this round.


	16. Mixed Feelings

Groaning, Nagisa hoisted her travelling bag onto her bed and proceeded to unpack. She had just thrown her dirty clothes into the hamper when the door opened and Tamao entered.

"Nagisa! You're back!" Delighted, the blue-haired girl hugged her best friend.

"How was it?"

Nagisa sighed as she sat on the bed. "Well…" she said.

"Didn't you have a good time?" With a concerned look on her face, Tamao sat beside the redhead.

The other girl thought for a moment. "No, I didn't." she finally admitted.

"What happened?"

"Well, we went to a party on Friday and we spent yesterday with some of Shizuma's fellow students. I just don't fit in. They talk about things I'm absolutely not interested in or stuff I know nothing about."

"But you and Shizuma always seemed to have similar interests."

"I think 'seemed' is the key word here." Nagisa sighed heavily. "Shizuma was totally at ease, having the time of her life. She always tried to include me, but it didn't really work. I felt so out of place. And Shizuma has changed."

Tamao hugged her friend tightly. "I'm so sorry, Nagisa."

The redhead returned the hug. "I'm glad to be back." she whispered. Pulling herself together, she sat up straight.

"I'll concentrate on school and tutoring Chiyo-chan. And I'm definitely not going back to Tokyo alone. Next time, you'll come with me."

Tamao smiled. "I'll be glad to come. I really miss Miyuki." A sad look crossed her face.

"Oh, that reminds me…" Nagisa jumped up and rummaged through her bag. After a moment, she pulled out a thick envelope.  
"This is for you."

Smiling, Tamao took the letter. "Thank you!"

Nagisa stood up. "I'll go look for Chiyo-chan, I promised her I'd go through her math one more time today."

The poet barely listened as she opened the envelope and pulled put the pages covered in Miyuki's handwriting. Grinning, her friend left the room and went to find Chiyo.

* * *

Two hours later, Chiyo closed her math book.

"I think I'm as ready as I can ever be." she said. "Thank you for helping me, Nagisa-oneesama."

"I was happy to help you, Chiyo-chan. And when your test is over tomorrow, I'll have a surprise waiting for you."

Happiness filled the young girl's eyes. "Really? Oh, I just can't wait!"

"The time will pass quickly." Nagisa smiled. "Meet me at the gate after school, okay?"

"I'll be there, Nagisa-oneesama!"

"Good. Now sleep well, don't worry about your test and don't study anymore tonight, okay?"

Chiyo solemnly nodded.

"Good night, Chiyo-chan."  
"Good night, Nagisa-oneesama."

Both girls left the common room and went to their dorms.

* * *

The following day, Nagisa waited at the gate after school, a picnic basket filled with delicacies in her hand. After a few minutes, Chiyo came toward her, a happy, expectant look on her face.

"Chiyo-chan! How was the test?"

"Thanks to your help, it was easy, Nagisa-oneesama. I'm just glad it's over."

"Well, all your studying earned you a treat. I've got everything for a picnic by the lake in here." Nagisa held up the basket.

The young girl's eyes lit up. "What a wonderful idea!"

Chatting about their day, the girls walked toward the lake. At the perfect spot, they lay down the blanket. As they settled down, Nagisa opened the basket and pulled out sandwiches, pastries, fruit, and cookies.

"This looks excellent, Nagisa-oneesama! I should treat you after you helped me so much." Chiyo mumbled.

"Don't be silly, Chiyo-chan. Helping you was no problem, I was glad to do it."

She offered her the plate of sandwiches. The young girl took one, biting into it immediately.

Smiling, the redhead started to eat as well.

While eating, the girls chatted away, talking about school, hobbies, friends, their families- everything they could think of. Without their noticing it, the hours slipped away and the afternoon turned to early evening. As the sinking sun slid behind a cloud, Chiyo shivered. Nagisa slipped an arm around the young girl, pulling her close to offer some warmth.

"Th-thank you, Na-nagisa-oneesama." Chiyo stuttered, her heart beating rapidly. Being so close to her admired oneesama made the young girl nervous. She shivered involuntarily.

"Are you still cold?" Nagisa asked, wrapping her other arm around the girl as well.

"No, I'm not cold." She blushed furiously as she looked at the redhead.

The young girl's nervousness touched Nagisa. A warm feeling spread through her as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"I really like you, Chiyo-chan." she whispered.

"I really like you, too, Nagisa-oneesama."

Without thinking, Nagisa lowered her head and kissed Chiyo gently. Startled, the younger girl returned the kiss, not daring to believe what was happening. As their lips parted, she looked at Nagisa with big eyes, a strong blush coloring her cheeks.

"I think I'm dreaming." she murmured.

"You're not dreaming," Nagisa answered just before their lips met a second time.

Chiyo closed her eyes and leaned closer to Nagisa, enjoying the kiss deeply, wishing that this moment would never end. The redhead leaned back, stretching out until both of them were lying flat on the blanket, Chiyo still in her arms, their lips still locked together.

She gently stroked the younger girl's cheek, deepening the kiss and teasing soft moans from her. A small voice in the back of her brain told her to stop, to walk away from this right then and there, before any damage was done, but it felt so good, so right, after that disastrous weekend. Chiyo snuggled closer, shyly stroking Nagisa's back.

The clock on the bell tower of the cathedral chimed, indicating that the curfew was just a short half hour away.

Nagisa carefully ended the kiss.

"We have to get back to the dorms or we'll get into trouble." she said quietly.

Dazed, Chiyo nodded. Without talking, the two girls gathered the leftovers, put them into the basket, folded up the blanket, and went back toward the dorm.

Just before they entered the building, Nagisa stopped.

"Chiyo-chan."

The young girl turned to face her.

"Chiyo-chan, I had a wonderful time with you today." she said quietly.

"I had a wonderful time as well." the young girl whispered.

The redhead pulled her into a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow in the library after school for a physics study session?"

"Hai!" Chiyo looked at her happily before running into the dorm building.

* * *

Nagisa slammed the door of her room, startling Tamao, who was sitting at her desk, writing something.

"Nagisa, is everything okay?" she asked.

Her friend dropped onto her bed, sighing loudly. "No."

"What's wrong?"

"I kissed Chiyo-chan."

"You did WHAT?"

"I kissed her. When we had our picnic by the lake. The sun was behind a cloud, it got chilly, Chiyo-chan was cold, I held her to warm her up and suddenly, I kissed her."

Tamao stared at her best friend, her mouth open.

"Was…was it just a short kiss or…"

"It wasn't. I guess in Chiyo-chan's eyes, that about qualified as making out."

"Nagisa, what did you do?"

"We ended up lying on the blanket, I held her, I stroked her cheek, she stroked my back. It only ended there because the tower bell rang."

"Oh, wow."

"What am I supposed to do now?" Nagisa wailed.

"Well…it depends on…why did you kiss her? Only because you're frustrated with how badly the weekend went or did you kiss her because you really like her and there might be more between you?"

"I don't know." The redhead buried her face in her hands.

"You have to find out, Nagisa. Otherwise, you'll really hurt Chiyo-chan. And Shizuma."

"Do you think I should tell Shizuma?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe I should just try to work things out for myself first. But I really don't know what to do. This weekend…well, the time I spent alone with Shizuma was really wonderful. But as soon as we were with her new friends, it was awful. Don't you think that I should get along with her friends as well?"

"Yes, you should. But you know that she's in a very different environment now, it's natural that she'll change and find new friends."

"I guess. But what if this is who she really is and we don't have much in common at all?"

"That's a possibility, Nagisa."

They were silent for a while, each turning over her own thoughts.

"But you have to make up your mind about your feelings for Chiyo-chan, too. She's crazy about you, she's always been crazy about you. And she's so young. You're her first love and you've got a lot of potential to hurt her."

"I don't want to hurt her."  
"I know you don't. But that means you have to be sure that you feel enough for her before you continue whatever started today. If you're not sure you want this, then break it off before it becomes more."

Nagisa sighed. "I think I need to sleep on all of this."

"Maybe that's a good idea."

Silently, both girls got ready for bed. As they lay in the dark, Tamao said: "Whatever you decide, I'll always be there for you."

"Thank you, Tamao. Good night."

"Good night, Nagisa."

Nagisa lay awake, thinking hard about her feelings, listening as Tamao's breathing evened out. After a long time, she finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Nagisa woke, feeling awfully groggy. Tamao's bed was already empty. As she showered and got ready for school, she realized that she didn't know any more than the night before. Her feelings were still scrambled, and she didn't know what exactly had made her kiss Chiyo.

And even though Shizuma was her girlfriend and she shouldn't kiss anyone beside her, she couldn't make herself feel guilty.

She picked up her book bag and went towards the dining hall to get breakfast. As she walked through the hallway, Midori caught up with her.

"Good morning, Nagisa-sama."

"Good morning, Midori-chan."

Looking at this smaller version of Shizuma, the ghost of a bad conscience brushed through Nagisa's mind.

"Yesterday's weather was wonderful, wasn't it?" the younger girl asked conversationally.

"Yes, it was." Nagisa answered, wondering what Midori had in mind.

"A great day to enjoy the sunset at the lake." Midori turned suddenly and pushed Nagisa against the wall. A chill of fear whispered down the redhead's back.

"And guess what else I saw at the lake, besides the gorgeous sunset?"

"I…I don't know." Nagisa stammered.

"Oh, you don't. Then let me refresh your memory." Midori's blue eyes were flashing. "I saw a picnic blanket…I saw Chiyo-chan…and I saw YOU, kissing her on that blanket. You two were so intent on each other that you wouldn't have noticed if I had come up and eaten the rest of your sandwiches."

"But…I…I…"

"Listen to me. My sister has been through enough in her life. She's lost her mother, she lost Kaori. I was young at the time, but I remember. I remember very well. The whole household walking around on tiptoes. Hearing her crying every night, sobbing her heart out. Seeing her exhaustion because she was afraid to sleep, afraid to dream of Kaori. It was a nightmare. For everyone, but especially for her. And now, you are cheating on her."

"I'm not cheating on her."

"Oh, you're not? Then what would you call kissing someone like that when you're in a relationship with someone else?"

"It didn't mean anything. I don't know why I kissed Chiyo-chan. I love Shizuma, I love her very much. I'll straighten things out with Chiyo-chan."

A sob caused Nagisa's and Midori's heads to whip around and see Chiyo standing a few feet away from them.

"Nagisa-oneesama…" Chiyo whispered, a tear running down her cheek.

"Good luck to you." Midori let go of Nagisa and went into the dining hall without looking at either girl.

"Chiyo-chan. I…" Nagisa turned toward the younger girl. With another sob, Chiyo bolted and ran down the hallway, back toward the dorms.

Nagisa dropped onto the carpet.

"This is just getting worse and worse." she moaned, burying her head in her hands.


	17. Decision Part 1

After a horrible school day, Nagisa closed the door to her room. She'd tried to find Chiyo, but the young girl had been avoiding her. Midori had walked past her a couple of time, each time letting out a cutting remark. Added to that, Nagisa had missed just about everything that had been taught in her classes because she had been so busy thinking about herself, Shizuma, and Chiyo.

Groaning, she dropped onto her bed. A few minutes later, Tamao entered the room.

Irritated, the blue-haired girl threw her cell phone on top of her desk.

"I haven't been able to talk to Miyuki in two weeks. I miss her so much! Whenever she calls me, I can't talk because I'm busy, and whenever I call her, I can't reach her. That is so frustrating!"

Nagisa stood up and hugged her friend.

"I'm so sorry! I can imagine how you must feel. When I was in Tokyo, Miyuki said how much she misses you."

"I miss her, too. But I have no idea how our relationship will survive for two years like that." She sighed. "You don't look all that happy either, Nagisa."

"I'm not. I've spent all day thinking about what happened with Chiyo-chan and what I'm going to do. Midori-chan saw us yesterday."

"Oh no."

"She wasn't exactly happy and accused me of cheating on Shizuma."

"Well, technically…"

"I know, I know."

"So did all your thinking help you?" Tamao asked.

"I'm not sure…you see, I always thought that Shizuma was the only one for me, but now, she's so far away, and she's changing. I don't get along with her friends, and she didn't even realize I was feeling awful."

"Okay, I can understand how that would make you feel." Tamao said slowly. "So you want to end your relationship with Shizuma?"

"I don't know."

"Would it help if you went to Tokyo one more time? Maybe it was only that one time and the next visit would be great."

"Maybe." Nagisa sighed. "I'll ask the Sister if I'm allowed to leave for this weekend, and I'll go visit her."

The redhead left the room and headed for Sister Hamasaka's office. 15 minutes later, she returned to the room.

"It's all set, I'm allowed to go." She reached for her phone. "How about you come, too?"

Tamao sighed. "I can't, Nagisa. I have so much to do."

"But you want to see Miyuki, don't you?"

"Of course. But I have to work all weekend."

"Then work on the train and while we're there, but you can't go on like that."

"You're right. I'll go ask the Sister as well."

Nagisa blushed. "There's no need. I asked her for your clearance to leave, as well."

"Nagisa, you're impossible." Tamao laughed. "Thank you." She hugged her friend.

"I'll call Shizuma's and Miyuki's landline, maybe we'll reach them both." Nagisa dialled a number.

"Hi Shizuma, it's me, Nagisa!...yes, I'm okay. How about you?...That's great. Listen, Tamao and I want to come visit this weekend. Is that all right?...Great. Is Miyuki there? Oh, okay. But you both have time this weekend? … Wonderful, I can't wait. Good night. I love you, too." She hung up again.

"Miyuki's at a study group, but Shizuma thinks she'll have time this weekend."

"Good. Oh, I can't wait!" Tamao exclaimed happily.

* * *

Three days later, the girls got off the train in Tokyo. Tamao flew right into Miyuki's waiting arms, while Nagisa approached Shizuma more slowly.

"Hi, sweety. I've missed you." the silver-haired beauty whispered when she finally embraced her girlfriend.

"I've missed you, too." Nagisa said. But she couldn't help feeling that she wasn't entirely truthful.

Miyuki and Tamao didn't look like they would be ready to let go of each other any time soon.

Shizuma loudly cleared her throat. "You know, the apartment is much more comfortable than this platform."

Tamao and Miyuki moved away from each other, looking sheepish.

"Sorry. We just haven't seen each other in such a long time." Miyuki said quietly.

"I know. Come on, let's drive home."

They climbed into Miyuki's car and drove towards the older girls' apartment.

While Miyuki showed Tamao the apartment, Shizuma and Nagisa went into the silver-haired woman's room.

Shizuma embraced her girlfriend.

"I'm so happy that you're here. It's a wonderful surprise."

Nagisa leaned into the embrace, but felt uncomfortable. She couldn't forget the last weekend she'd spent here, and the feel of Chiyo in her arms. Pushing those thoughts as far away as possible, she smiled at her girlfriend.

"I'm also really happy that you're here. What have you been doing?"

Shizuma launched into a long tale of her classes and projects. Nagisa oppressed a yawn.

"And what's been happening on Astrea Hill? I talked to Mimi a few nights ago, but she didn't say all that much."

"Oh, I haven't been up to much. I had a lot of studying to do, and I tutored Chiyo-chan."

"Oh yeah, I remember. Did she pass her math test?"

"She did really well."

"Good." Shizuma slipped her arms around the young redhead and kissed her passionately. "But I think we can spend our time with better things than with talking about school." she whispered in a sultry voice.

As Nagisa's legs turned to jelly, she allowed Shizuma to lay her on the bed. The redhead submitted to her girlfriend's kisses, letting them sweep her into a sea of emotion and sensation.

Some time later, a soft knock sounded.

"Shizuma, can we come in?" Miyuki's voice asked.

"Sure, if you don't mind a rather flimsy dress code."

The two entered, both only wearing t-shirts over their underwear. Nagisa and Shizuma quickly covered themselves with blankets.

"We want to plan the weekend." Miyuki looked at the young girls. "We've invited friends for tomorrow evening, for cooking and games. If you don't want to, we can cancel it."

"No, don't. I really want to meet your friends." Tamao said.

"Well, Nagisa already knows some of them, and she had a good time at the party." Shizuma said.

Nagisa shot Tamao a look. Tamao shrugged.

"Okay, so tomorrow, we'll need to go grocery shopping." Miyuki said.

"How about we just go shopping? Have you ever been to Tokyo's city center?"

Shizuma turned to Tamao and Nagisa.

"No. I'd love to go." said Nagisa. Tamao nodded.

"Good. So what do you want to do tonight? Do you want to go out or just stay here and watch a DVD or something else?" Shizuma asked.

"I think staying here would be nice." Tamao said.

"Well, I know you and Miyuki would most likely love to spend your weekend in Miyuki's bedroom." A sly smile pulled at the emerald-eyed beauty's lips.

Miyuki and Tamao blushed.

"But I would love to spend time with Tamao, too." she continued.

"Okay, so we'll spend the evening together. Do you feel like ordering a pizza?"

"Cool idea." Tamao said.

An hour later, the girls were gathered in the living room, dressed in comfortable clothing, watching a DVD and munching pizza.

Nagisa lay snuggled in Shizuma's arms. She felt good, but Chiyo kept crossing her mind. That made her feel guilty.

After the movie, Tamao and Miyuki disappeared into Miyuki's bedroom, while Shizuma and Nagisa slipped into Shizuma's room.

* * *

Saturday evening, Shizuma, Miyuki, Tamao, and Nagisa had cleaned the apartment, set out some games, and had readied the kitchen after their long shopping trip in Tokyo's city center.

At 8 o'clock, the doorbell rang. Kenji, Suki, and Ran stood there, holding a bag.

"Hi! Thanks for inviting us!"

They entered, greeting Miyuki and Shizuma with kisses on both cheeks, and shaking Nagisa's and Tamao's hands.

"Everyone, this is Tamao." Miyuki introduced her girlfriend. "And Tamao, these are Kenji, Suki, and Ran. Suki also writes poetry."

Tamao's eyes lit up. "You do? I'm in my school's poetry club."

"Really? Which kind of poetry do you like?" Suki looked at the young girl, interested.

"Oh, it depends on what I'm writing about. When it's more of a sad poem, I prefer…" The two drifted into the living room. Nagisa stood and stared. Tamao seemed to fit in quite well. Before she could dwell on the subject, the doorbell rang again. Ryo and a young man Nagisa didn't know stood in the doorway.

"Hello, Ryo, Hello, Naoko!" Shizuma pulled them into the hallway. She introduced Naoko and Nagisa.

"Now we're almost complete, I think." Miyuki said. "We're only missing…" The doorbell rang again, cutting her off. She opened the door.

"Hi, Toya, hi…" Again, Miyuki was cut off, this time by Shizuma, who came running into the hallway, calling: "HIRO!"

She flung herself at the handsome young man, who caught her and whirled her around.

"Shizu-chan!" He hugged her tightly before setting her down.

"Nagisa, I want you to meet Hiro, my best friend. I've known him since I was three. Hiro, this is Nagisa."

"Hello, Nagisa. I've heard so much about you. It's great to meet you finally."

Hiro started a conversation with Nagisa, pulling her into the living room.

"Hi, Toya." Shizuma said, looking into the young woman's dark blue eyes.

"So you've got company this weekend?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah, Tamao and Nagisa called on Tuesday evening. I'm glad they're here."

"I can imagine." Toya smiled. "So what are we cooking?"

"Better ask Miyuki, you know of my non-existent talent in the kitchen. I said I'm taking care of tasting, eating, and serving the drinks. What would you like to drink, by the way?"

"I'll start with some wine."

"White, red, or rose?"

"Oh, come on, have you got such a bad memory?" Toya teased.

"Of course not, I'm just joking." She disappeared in the kitchen and brought her friend a glass of red wine. Toya took a sip.

"Perfect. Thank you."

"I aim to please." Shizuma bowed, smiling.

She then proceeded to fulfil her other guests' wishes, leaving Toya to talk to the others. Soon, Miyuki appeared to round up her helpers for cooking, while the others decided on the games to play.

After dinner, Nagisa was sick of it all. Ran still made cutting remarks at her expense, but so skilfully, that no one really noticed. Tamao seemed to be Suki's new best friend, the two of them talking and laughing together all evening. Hiro and Nagisa had run out of topics after a while, and she simply couldn't really talk to any of the others.

"You don't look all that happy." A young woman with dark blue eyes and long black hair approached Nagisa.

"Come on, I want to have a cigarette. Join me on the balcony."

Nagisa followed, wondering what the young woman wanted.

"I'm Toya, by the way. I think we missed the introduction when Hiro abducted you."

"I'm Nagisa."

"I know. I think I would have recognized you everywhere, considering how much I've heard about you from Shizuma."

Nagisa smiled. "She really talks about me that much?"

"Hai, she does." Toya smiled as well. "So what's bothering you?"

"Well, I don't think I fit in with Shizuma's college friends. Last time I was here, we went to a party, and I thought it was really awful. Shizuma thinks I had a good time, she didn't even realize I hated it. Then, there was Ran-san. She kept hitting on Shizuma all night, and tried to put me down anyway she could. She's doing the same thing tonight, but no one seems to realize. Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Toya laughed gently. "You're not. I noticed that she's been giving you a hard time. I'm sure the others are noticing, too, but that's just Ran. She does that to everyone. And she's got her mind set on bedding Shizuma, so I can imagine why she'd be harder on you. Ran is actually straight as a doornail. She's just curious how sex with a woman would be, and she's picked Shizuma as her science experiment. But I can assure you that Shizuma knows what Ran is up to, and has no interest whatsoever in being a project."

She lighted up her cigarette.

"And I know what you're talking about when you say you feel like you don't fit in. I used to have an older girlfriend who started college. And I went to visit her. I had just turned 15, she was 18, and her friends were between 19 and 25. I spent a couple of weekends with her and her friends, and I felt really awful. They had different hobbies, different things they were interested in and thought I was just a little girl."

"So how did you cope?"

"I didn't. We broke up soon after that. It wasn't just the different development, it was also the distance. I lived in Tokyo, she was studying in Osaka. And neither of us had the money to travel often."

"That's awful."

"Well, I guess it was for the best. We're good friends now, that's easier to handle at that distance."

Nagisa thought about it. Chiyo once again crossed her mind.

"There you are!" Shizuma suddenly stood in the doorway. "I've been looking for you, Nagisa. Come on, we want to start playing."

Nagisa smiled and followed Shizuma inside. Toya finished her cigarette and quickly followed.

Several fun-filled hours later, the last guest had left and the apartment was cleaned up. Shizuma pulled Nagisa into her bedroom, peeling of both of their clothes as soon as the door was closed. Constantly kissing her girlfriend, she manoeuvred the young girl onto the bed.

Shizuma kissed and caressed, stroked and petted. After a while, she looked up.

"Nagisa, what's wrong?"

"What? Why do you ask?"

"Because I've been doing my best to get you hot and bothered, and you haven't even given me a token moan."

Nagisa blushed. She hadn't meant to talk about anything this weekend. She had wanted to see how she felt, then go back to school and think about everything before she made a decision. But she didn't know how to handle this situation without telling Shizuma the truth.

"Well…I'm distracted."

"I noticed. By what?"

"There's a lot on my mind right now, Shizuma."

"What's worrying you?" the silver-haired woman asked, gently stroking Nagisa's head.

"I…I'm not sure I want to talk about it."

"I wish I could help you, sweety."

"I don't know." Nagisa sighed.

Shizuma studied her for a moment. "Well, you know I'm there for you if you want to talk. I can tell you from experience that talking helps more than brooding."

"I guess you're right." She took a deep breath.

"You know when I visited you and we went to that party?"

"Of course."

"I had an awful time."

"Oh. Why didn't you say so?"

"Because you were having a great time. And it's not your fault that I don't get along with your friends."

"But I want you to feel good when you're with me, honey."

"Well, I do feel good when I'm with you. I just can't talk with your friends because we have nothing to talk about." Exasperated, she brushed her hair out of her face. "Tamao fit right in, with her poetry. I have no real hobby, no real interest. At school, that doesn't matter, but here, it's awful."

"Nagisa, don't put yourself down like that. You're young, you still have so much time to develop. Don't pressure yourself." Shizuma stroked her girlfriend's cheek.

"But I really don't fit into your college life. I feel like foreign particle."

"You don't have to come here and visit if you don't want to. I can come visit you and we'll stay in the summer home."

"But, Shizuma, that's no solution. You'd just live two lives."

"Well, yes, but if you don't feel comfortable here, then I'll do that."

"What kind of relationship would that be? You'd always have to choose between me and your friends."

"I think it's obvious how I would choose." Shizuma raised an eyebrow.

"I know. But that's no way to plan our future. What if I never fit in with your friends?"

"Then we'll just have to find friends that are compatible with both of us."

Nagisa sighed. "I doubt we'll manage that."

The emerald eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say, Nagisa?"

"I kissed Chiyo-chan."

Shizuma looked at her, speechless for a moment.

"This is rather unexpected."

Nagisa just looked at her.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because…because…" she looked at her girlfriend helplessly.

Shizuma leaned back and crossed her arms.

"First, you tell me you don't fit in with my friends, then you tell me you don't want me to divide my time between you and my friends, and then you tell me you kissed someone else. It sounds like you're trying to break up with me."

"I…I didn't just kiss her." Nagisa mumbled.

"What did you do?"

"For Chiyo-chan, that must have counted as making out."

"You know, Chiyo-chan is very young. And you know that she's had a crush on you since she started at St. Miator. Kissing her just because you just felt like it would be quite cruel." Shizuma observed.

"Oh, like you used to with Miyuki?"

"Nagisa, that was low and uncalled for. I wasn't aware of Miyuki's feelings. Okay, I admit I was extremely blind, but I really didn't know. And Miyuki and I have worked out our problems."

"I'm sorry."

"What I was going to say, is that I don't think you'd do something so cruel. And I think you wouldn't kiss Chiyo-chan unless you felt something for her."

Nagisa was silent. Shizuma had her pegged.

"What if I did feel something for Chiyo-chan?"

"Then you'd have to decide with whom you want to be. I doubt Chiyo-chan would be willing to share you. And I'm not sure I'd be willing."

"I don't know what I want." Nagisa sighed.

"Does Chiyo-chan fit into your life, just the way it is?"

"Hai, she does."

"What did you feel when you were with her?"

"A…tingling. And if felt good. And I felt sure of myself, and in control."

"How do you feel when you're with me?"

"It's exciting. And I often feel nervous. And completely out of control."

Shizuma looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, that sounds pretty clear."

"I…I guess." Nagisa looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry." Shizuma pulled her into a tight hug.

"But…but I don't know what to do." she sobbed.

"Yes, you do, Nagisa." The silver-haired beauty's voice was gentle.

The young girl looked up. "Hai. But I don't want to say it."

"Well, you'll have to."

"I know." She sighed, then took a deep breath. "I think it's better if we break up." She looked at Shizuma.

The silver-haired woman swallowed hard. She had known what was coming, pretty much ever since Nagisa hadn't reacted to her kisses and caresses. But really hearing it was tougher than she'd expected.

Pulling herself together for Nagisa's sake, she pulled the redhead into a hug.

"So now you've said it. Do you feel better?"

"A little bit." She looked at Shizuma. "But we'll stay friends?"

"Always." The emerald eyed hid her face in Nagisa's red hair.

After a long time, Nagisa was finally asleep. Quietly, Shizuma got out of bed, slipped on a robe and went onto the balcony. There, she finally let her tears flow freely.

"Shizuma, what's wrong?"

Miyuki slipped her arms around her friend.

"Nagisa left me for Chiyo-chan."

The blue-haired woman hugged her tightly.

"That's pretty bad."

Slowly, Shizuma's tears stopped.

"I didn't even hear you come out here." she said, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her robe.

"I was just getting something to drink."

"You should get back before Tamao misses you."

"Don't worry. I don't want to leave you alone."

"Oh, I'm fine, Miyuki. Mimi had told me to talk to Nagisa and find out if everything's alright. I just didn't think it would end this way."

"How do you think Mimi knew? Hanazono intuition?"

Shizuma laughed. "No. I guess she saw them. But it's good that she didn't tell me outright."

"True. If you're sure that you're okay, I will go back to bed. I'm tired. Don't stay out here too long, okay?"

"I won't. And, Miyuki?"

"Yes?"

"Arrigato."

"Always, Shizuma."


	18. Decision Part 2

After a slightly uncomfortable Sunday morning, Tamao and Nagisa were on the train, heading back to Astrea Hill. They had been travelling in silence for a while before Tamao finally spoke.

"Why did you break up with Shizuma?"

"She asked me what was wrong last night, and I told her about how I felt during my last visit and what happened with Chiyo-chan. And then, she asked me how I had felt with Chiyo-chan, and how she fit in my life, and how I felt about Shizuma, and how I fit into her life, and suddenly, it was clear that I didn't want to be with her anymore."

"How did Shizuma take it?"

"She tried to comfort me. It didn't seem to bother her all that much." Nagisa said.

Tamao huffed. "I doubt that very much. She probably just wanted to be strong for you."

Nagisa thought about that for a moment.

"You could be right." She sighed. "Anyway, it's over now."

"How do you feel?"

"Mainly relieved. It was difficult, trying to figure out what to do. But I really didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Sometimes, you can't avoid hurting someone. But it's best to be honest. Nobody would have gained anything if you would have put off your decision." Tamao slipped an arm around her friend's shoulder.

"What are you going to do about Chiyo-chan?"

Nagisa sighed again. "I'm not sure. She's been avoiding me after she heard me telling Midori-chan that I didn't know why I had kissed Chiyo-chan because I really love Shizuma."

"I can imagine that Chiyo-chan would be hurt by that."

"I know. I don't know why I said that. Probably because Midori-chan had me pinned against the wall and was glaring at me."

"Nagisa, Midori-chan is 12. You shouldn't let her scare you."

"Have you ever seen Shizuma glare?"

"Hai."

"Midori-chan glares just like her sister."

"Oh. Okay, then I can understand why you'd be intimidated." Tamao giggled.

"But seriously, you need to talk to Chiyo-chan."

"I know, I will as soon as we're back."

The girls lapsed back into silence for the rest of the journey. As soon as they had put their bags into their room, Nagisa set out to find Chiyo. She finally tracked down the young girl in a common room, reading a book.

"Chiyo-chan! I've been looking for you all over school. Can we talk?"

"Nagisa-oneesama." Chiyo stared at the older girl. She didn't much feel like talking, but refusing her oneesama's request would be rude and would cause more of a scene then to just go along with it. Sighing, she put her book down.

"Hai, we can talk."

"Good. But not here. Let's go outside."

Sighing again, Chiyo got up, returned her book to a shelf and followed Nagisa outside.

"What do you want, Nagisa-oneesama?"

"I want to talk about what happened after our picnic."

Chiyo blushed a bright red.

"And about what I told Midori-chan the day after. I didn't mean it, Chiyo-chan. She had cornered me, and I panicked."

"So what did you mean, Nagisa-oneesama?" A faint glimmer of hope appeared in the young girl's eyes.

The redhead took a deep breath.

"I spent this weekend in Tokyo and broke up with Shizuma. I…I want to be with you, Chiyo-chan."

Startled, the girl looked up.

"What?"

"I said I want to be with you, Chiyo-chan."

A huge smile spread across the petrol-haired girl's face.

"That makes me so happy!" she squealed.

Nagisa smiled and pulled Chiyo into her arms. "It makes me happy, too."

* * *

Miyuki opened the door to Shizuma's room.

"Shizuma, I know Nagisa breaking up with you was hard, but you have to get yourself together."  
It was Friday evening, three weeks after Nagisa's and Tamao's visit. Shizuma had spent those weeks going to her classes and moping in her room.

"Miyuki, just leave me alone." a voice sounded from underneath the blanket.

Miyuki pulled the blanket away.

"Come on, you can't go on like that. Get up, take a shower, and put on some clothes, we're going out tonight."

Shizuma turned to look at her. "Where do you think we're going?"

"We're going to a bar with Ryo, Naoko, Suki, and Hiro."

"Hiro's coming?"

"He said he'd be there."

"Oh, all right. I'll come."

She slid off the bed and headed for the bathroom.

* * *

Seven hours later, Miyuki and Shizuma stumbled out of the bar, intoxicated, and dropped into the backseat of a taxi. It took two tries before the driver understood the address Miyuki was trying to give him, Shizuma giggling the entire time.

The driver started.

"Y'know…thad weally was a good idea." Shizuma drawled.

"I dold you we'd have fun."

The driver took a curve a bit sharply, causing Miyuki's forehead to crash against Shizuma's.

"Oops." Miyuki laughed.

Suddenly, her lips were on Shizuma's. She pulled back.

"I really shouldn't have done that." she said, giggling.

"You really shouldn't have." Shizuma agreed, as she covered the short distance between them and resumed the kiss.

'So firm, but so soft', Miyuki thought. A small, red alarm light began to flash somewhere in her brain. She completely ignored it, exploring Shizuma's lips with her tongue instead, teasing a soft moan from her friend.

The silver-haired beauty opened her lips, allowing her tongue to gently wrestle with Miyuki's. Her hands were stroking the blue-haired woman's back, pulling her closer.

The cab driver could barely take his eyes from the rear-view mirror.

Miyuki's hands were slowly stroking across Shizuma's shoulder and collar bone, sliding the already low cut blouse even lower, caressing the silky skin of her breasts.

Shizuma's hand slid beneath Miyuki's shirt, stroking upward, pulling the fabric up with her.

The cab driver stopped at a red light and stared into the mirror, mesmerized.

A loud honking tore him away from his fantasies come true, and he continued driving. Miyuki and Shizuma completely ignored the sound.

"Oh, I hope we're home soon." Miyuki whispered.

"Me, too."

A few minutes later, the taxi finally pulled to a stop in front of the apartment building. Almost without breaking the kiss, Shizuma pushed a note into the driver's hand and climbed out of the car.

Kissing and tripping, she and Miyuki made their way through the foyer to the elevator, pressing the button haphazardly.

As the door opened, the two stumbled inside. Miyuki shoved Shizuma against the wall, unbuttoning her blouse just enough to reach her breasts.

Shizuma moaned loudly. Her hands were both inside Miyuki's shirt, pushing impatiently against her bra.

"Your room or mine?" the silver-haired woman panted.

"Never mind, I doubt we'll make it past the hall." Miyuki moaned.

"There's no way I'm taking you in the hall."

"But I'm definitely going to take you in the hall."

The elevator came to a stop, releasing the two into the hallway. Shizuma unlocked the door, sending herself and Miyuki tumbling into the apartment.

The blue-haired woman pushed her friend onto the floor and kicked the door closed.

With one rip, the still-closed buttons of Shizuma's blouse flew off. Miyuki allowed her friend to rise from the floor far enough to push the fabric off her shoulders and unclasp her bra. The silver-haired reached up and pulled off the blue-haired woman's top, taking the bra along, then pulled her friend down for a deep, soul-searching kiss.

Miyuki's thigh slipped between Shizuma's legs, causing the emerald-eyed woman to gasp. Pushing her leg against the former Etoile's body, the blue-haired deepened the kiss, until her friend pulled away, breathing hard.

"Your…your jeans…are getting wet." Shizuma panted.

Miyuki backed up just enough to get rid of her shoes and jeans, pulling off Shizuma's short skirt and string in the process.

"I'll leave your boots." she whispered, eyeing the thigh-high black leather boots appreciatively.

"Come here." Shizuma moaned, her arms outstretched.

Obliging, Miyuki kissed her again, massaging the silver-haired woman's breasts, her thigh slipping back between the other woman's legs.

Shizuma moaned and pushed her hips up.

The blue-haired woman trailed kisses across her friend's cheek and neck, moving lower to her collar bone.

"Miyuki, please…get on with it..." Shizuma moaned.

The blue-haired woman obeyed, fastening her lips where the slender legs met, sliding two fingers inside, sending her friend into oblivion.

15 minutes later, both young women were lying in the hallway, panting.

"Can I take my boots off now?"

"Sure." Miyuki turned to face her friend. "Your room or mine?"

"What?" Shizuma paused in the process of unzipping her boot.

"Well, you said that you wouldn't take me in the hall."

"Oh yeah. My room." She pulled off the second boot and held out a hand, waiting for Miyuki to grasp it.

"Are you up for part two?"

* * *

Miyuki woke slowly from deep slumber, wondering why her head felt like a sledgehammer was drumming inside. She carefully opened her eyes.

'Why am I in Shizuma's room? In her bed? Naked?' she asked herself, wincing from the additional pain the thinking caused her head. As she moved, the sticky wetness between her legs answered the question she hadn't dared ask herself.

"Oh my God." she moaned.

"What?" mumbled Shizuma sleepily.

"I think…I think we had sex."

Shizuma seemed to ponder this for a while when her eyes were finally open and her brain functioning.

"I think you're right. But my headache keeps me from remembering."

Miyuki sat up, but dropped down again instantly.

"The room is spinning."

"Maybe we should just try to sleep some more."

"I can't sleep, my head hurts too much."

"I'll get you a pill." Shizuma pushed herself into a sitting position and waited until she's gotten used to the spinning room. The wavy floor made walking a bit difficult, but she reached the door. In the hall, her eyes landed on the heap of clothing. Shrugging, she continued, getting the pills out of the bathroom and a bottle of water from the kitchen.

When she returned to her room, Miyuki was sitting up, leaning against the headboard.

"Do you have any idea where our clothes are?"

"Out in the hall."

Shizuma popped two pills into her mouth and flushed them down with a generous swallow of water before handing the pills and the bottle to Miyuki.

After the pills and some strong coffee had cleared their heads, the two young women were sitting in their living room, recounting the night before.

"God, I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I cheated on Tamao, and I can't believe I started it." Miyuki buried her face in her hands.

"You don't have to tell her." Shizuma stroked her friend's arm. "I'm sorry I went along with it."

They were both quiet for a moment.

"I know this is uncalled for, but it was incredible." Shizuma said.

"Yes, it was." Miyuki agreed.

"Okay, let's stop dwelling on it. I mean, we've known each other forever, you had a crush on me for most of that time, you had your first time with me, we had a foursome with our girlfriends, and now we got impossibly drunk and landed in bed. We won't tell Tamao or anyone else about it, and we'll ignore that it happened. Okay?" the silver-haired beauty suggested.

"Okay." Miyuki sighed, relieved. Telling Tamao about this would have been more than uncomfortable. But Shizuma was right, last night meant nothing. They could simply ignore that it had happened.


	19. Back to Basics

Saturday evening, Shizuma knocked on Miyuki's door.

"Come in!"

"Miyuki, I'm going out. Wanna come?"

"No. I'm still not feeling all that well. And I promised Tamao I'd have time for a phone call."

Shizuma looked hard at her friend. "Do you feel guilty?"

Miyuki smiled. "No, I don't. It's just that we've barely spoken for the last three weeks."

"Must be awful to be so busy that you barely have time to even talk."

"It is. But you know how it was with Nagisa."

"Hai. But Nagisa wasn't student council president and member of the poetry club, on top of all her school work. And I don't do as many study groups as you do."

"Well, you know how much being at college means to me. Just a few months ago, I didn't think I'd ever go to college." Miyuki smiled.

"I know." Shizuma smiled back at her friend. "Listen, I've got to go. Arrigato for pulling me out of my funk yesterday."

"That's what friends are for. You look hot, by the way." Miyuki said, eying her friend's black tank top and impossibly tight jeans.

"Thanks."

Shizuma closed the door and went to catch the cab that would take her to Ran's home, where she and her friends were meeting.

Finally there, she rang the doorbell.

"Shizuma!" Ran opened the door and pulled the young woman into a hug, kissing her on both cheeks. Shizuma returned the hug and the kisses.

"Ryo, Naoko and Hiro are here already. Suki and Kenji should be on their way." She said.

Shizuma entered the living room, greeting the others.

"I thought Toya was coming, too." she said.

"Yeah, she was, but her sister called. She's lovesick, and she needed Toya." Ryo said, pulling Naoko closer.

"Oh, too bad."

"Can I get you anything to drink, beautiful?" Ran asked.

The silver-haired beauty smiled at the compliment. "I'll have some wine."

"Red?"

"Sure."

"So, did you and Miyuki get home okay last night?" Hiro asked.

"We did."

"Good. You were pretty smashed, both of you."

"We had a hell of a hangover, but thanks to aspirin and coffee, I'm fine now."

"Sounds like our breakfast." Ryo smirked.

"But it was a really cool night." Hiro grinned. "Glad to have you back, Shizu-chan."

"Miyuki persuaded me to come. I'm glad she did."

"Where's Miyuki tonight?" Naoko asked.

"She wanted to stay home. She said she wasn't feeling all that well, and she has a phone date with Tamao."

Suki and Kenji entered the room. After exchanging hellos with the others, they found a place to sit down.

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Kenji asked.

"Let's play Risk." Ran suggested.

"You can play it with up to six people, but we're seven." Ryo pointed out.

"I'm so bad at strategy compared to the rest of you, I'll pair up with…" Ran looked around. "Shizuma."

"Big surprise." Hiro said under his breath. Suki overheard and giggled.

"Well, if you are okay with that?" Shizuma looked at her other friends questioningly.

"Sure, you can pair up."

Four hours and an exciting game later, Ran and Shizuma had managed to lose astronomically, mainly due to the fact that they'd spent most of the game flirting heavily instead of playing.

"What's going on here?" Suki whispered into Hiro's ear.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"She's your best friend."

"I have no idea. She's never reacted to Ran's flirting before. But she also wasn't single before."

They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well, we're calling it a night." Naoko said and pulled his boyfriend to his feet.

"Thanks for the game. Good to know I'm still the champion." Ryo grinned as they were walking out the door.

"How about you, Suki? Are you ready to leave?" Kenji asked his girlfriend.

"Sure."

"Okay, then I can take you home. I've got a handball game tomorrow, so I really need to get to bed." He yawned. "How are you getting home, Hiro?"

Oh, I'll help Ran clean up, then I'll catch a cab."

Ran turned to look at him. "You don't have to help. Shizuma and I can manage."

"Really?" He looked questioningly at his best friend.

"Sure." She smiled at him.

"Okay. Can you take me home, too, Kenji?"

"That's why I asked." He grinned.

They gathered up their jackets and bags. As Hiro hugged Shizuma goodbye, he whispered: "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course. Don't worry about me."

The three left.

Ran turned to Shizuma, a big smile on her face.

"Let's get this place cleaned up."

Half an hour later, they were sitting on the sofa. Soft music was playing and scattered candles gave off dim light. Ran poured a glass of wine, which she handed Shizuma.

"Thank you for helping me clean up." she said, settling down close to the silver-haired beauty.

"This is a very nice way of thanking me." Shizuma's voice was a soft purr. "Nice, but unusual."

Ran smiled as she took Shizuma's arm and slipped it around herself. "I thought unusual would suit you."

Leaning her forehead on the side of Ran's head, the emerald-eyed whispered: "I think you're trying to seduce me."

Shizuma's soft breath on her ear and the husky voice were sending shivers down Ran's spine.

"What if I am?"

"Then I'm curious how you plan to continue."

That caused Ran to hold her tongue. Truth was, Shizuma was way out of her league. She was so curious about how a night with the emerald-eyed woman would be, but she had no idea how to seduce her.

"Well…I…" she stuttered.

The silver-haired beauty let out a sexy, rumbling laugh.

"You have no idea how to continue, right?"

"Right." Ran whispered.

"But you want me?" Her lips were almost touching Ran's ear.

Another shiver whispered down the brown-haired woman's spine. She'd longed for a situation like this for such a long time.

"Yes, I want you." she answered.

Shizuma slipped one leg over Ran's, straddling her.

The gray eyes looked at her with a mixture of lust, nervousness, excitement, and just a hint of fear. Almost forgotten sensations and memories came back as the predator in Shizuma slowly awakened and stretched. Seeing that mixture of emotions in a girl's eye made the game interesting.

"Then kiss me." the predator whispered.

Ran moved forward, lightly placing her lips on Shizuma's, then pulling away again. The gray-eyed woman was trembling. With a smile, the silver-haired leaned forward and kissed her friend. Kissed her softly. Kissed her temptingly. Kissed her until she moaned. Ran's hands clenched on Shizuma's shoulders, her nails digging into the emerald-eyed woman's skin.

The silver-haired moaned as the nails pricked her skin, the sharp pain heightening her lust.

Ran pulled back. "I want you." she panted. "I really want you. But I have no idea what to do."

"Just do whatever you feel like doing." Shizuma kissed her cheek. "And if I do something you don't want, tell me." she whispered.

She kissed the brown-haired woman's lips again. Ran's hands hesitantly stroked across her friend's body.

'We're not getting anywhere like this,' Shizuma thought to herself. Smiling, she peeled off her clothing and Ran's, then manoeuvred them into the bedroom. There, she pushed Ran onto the bed, slid on top of her and sent her into lustful oblivion.

* * *

"She's had about 15 different girls in the last month. Even at school she wasn't that bad. I think Suki's the only one she hasn't tried to bed yet." Miyuki said, setting down her coffee cup.

"That's because Suki's with Kenji." Toya said. "Poor you. You're really losing out on something." she went on, turning to Suki.

"Toya, come on, be serious!" Miyuki was impatient. And jealous, she grudgingly admitted to herself.

"I'm sorry, but that night was so awfully hot…" Sighing, she stared off into space.

"Okay, I think we can forget about Toya for the moment." Miyuki sounded exasperated.

"You know, Miyuki, as much as I can understand that you want to help your friend," Hiro put special emphasis on the last word, "I think there's not much we can do. Picking up women is her way to cope with Nagisa breaking up with her. And as long as she thinks she needs to go on with that to handle whatever's bothering her, we can't do anything."

"We could talk to her, find out what's wrong, tell her she's just running away from her problems instead of solving them." Miyuki said.

The others were quiet for a moment.

"Well, seeing as you live with her, and are her best friend, and know what happened between her and Nagisa, you'd be the prime suspect to talk to her." Suki finally said.

Miyuki paled.

"No. I…I…can't."

"Why not?" Suki wanted to know.

Hiro looked at Suki. How could someone studying social relations and psychology be so unbelievably blind?

"Well, I don't think Toya would be first choice." he said, saving Miyuki from Suki's question.

Toya giggled. "I'm sorry. I know sleeping with Shizuma wasn't helping her, but she can be so persuasive."

She very well remembered the party she'd been to a week ago. Shizuma had come up to her and eyed the glass she was holding.

"What are you drinking?" she'd asked.

"Bourbon." Toya had answered.

"Oh, so you like a hard liquor? Then you'd really appreciate me in the bedroom." With that, she'd drifted off.

Toya had been intrigued enough to trade the drink for Shizuma's bedroom and was glad she'd done that.

"Hiro, couldn't you talk to her?" Miyuki asked.

He sighed. "I can try."

Suki looked at her watch, then stood up. "I'm sorry, I have to get going. My class is about to start." She looked pointedly at Toya. "You're in that same class, Toya."

"What? Oh, yeah." She jumped up and grabbed her bag.

"See you later!" the two called to Miyuki and Hiro.

Miyuki looked at Hiro. "You don't seem to be convinced that talking to Shizuma is the right course of action."

"I'm not." He sipped his coffee.

"Why not? You said yourself that you're worried about her."

"I am. But I think that your reason for wanting me to talk to her isn't only because you're worried about her. Could it be that you're jealous?"

Miyuki blushed crimson.

"No, I'm not. I've got my relationship with Tamao, and I'm very, very happy with her." she said defiantly.

Hiro studied her closely.

"Well, as long as you're convinced…Listen. I'll take Shizuma out to dinner and talk to her. But if she decides to continue, it's her decision, and I'll accept it. The only thing I want her to know is that we're worried about her and that we'll be there if she wants to talk."

"Arrigato, Hiro."

He pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number. It rang a few times.

"Hi, Shizu-chan…no, I have a class in a minute…listen, do you think you could skip the bedroom antics with a hot chick tonight and let me take you out to dinner instead?...Oh, okay. Then how about next week?...Great. Then I'll make a reservation for next Wednesday…Bye, love." He hung up.

"She can't make it tonight?" Miyuki asked.

"No. She says she has a study group later on. And Toya has invited her for the weekend."

"I bet Ryo and Naoko will be annoyed if they spend the weekend in Toya's bedroom." Miyuki said, referring to Toya's room mates.

"They told me they're visiting Ryo's family this weekend."

"Oh." Miyuki sighed. "Well, I better get going, I'll see you later."

"Bye. I've got a few minutes before I have to run." Hiro finished his coffee, watching Miyuki leave the café.

* * *

The next morning, Miyuki was making coffee when the door of Shizuma's bedroom opened. The silver-haired beauty led two gorgeous girls to the apartment's door.

"Bye, ladies. I had a wonderful night." she said, kissing both of them thoroughly before they left.

She turned and entered the kitchen.

"Thank God, coffee. Can I have some?"

Glaring at her, Miyuki took a mug out of the cupboard and set it down in front of her friend.

"I can imagine you'd need coffee. Didn't get much sleep, did you?" she asked pointedly.

Shizuma grinned naughtily. "We definitely didn't. Those two were insatiable. I hope we didn't keep you up."

"I have earplugs." she noted dryly.

"Oh, good." Shizuma grabbed the coffee pot and poured the hot liquid. Adding milk and sugar, she glanced at the clock.

"Oops, I have to hurry, I have to get going in 45 minutes." She drained her mug, set it in the dishwasher and sailed into the bathroom. Miyuki looked at the closed bathroom door and shook her head. She needed to get out of here. Shizuma had told her last night that she was spending the weekend with Toya. Miyuki didn't feel like staying by herself all weekend. She reached for her phone and dialled Tamao's number.

"Hi, Tamao…I'm fine. How about you?...Good. Can you get off school grounds this weekend?...Great…No, I just want to get away with you. I'll book a hotel…No. I'll come pick you up…Oh, I can't wait. I love you. Bye!"

Smiling, she hung up. A weekend with Tamao was exactly what she needed.


	20. Miyuki's dilemma

Miyuki lay in bed, unable to stop the tears silently streaming down her face. When had it all started to go wrong? She went through the last two days, tracking her actions and emotions. She'd picked up Tamao, taken her to a beautiful hotel, chatting all the way, excited that they would spend the weekend together. No, not excited. Miyuki had been nervous.

But why? She knew Tamao so well by now. Why should she be nervous? She put that thought on hold, not sure she wanted to find an answer just yet.

Arriving at the hotel, they'd made love. It had felt…muted, somehow. Her body had reacted to the caresses and kisses, had kissed and caressed in turn. There'd been something in Tamao's eyes telling Miyuki that her girlfriend felt it, too. Or maybe she had still been caught up in something on her mind. Neither of them had mentioned it, not wanting to destroy their precious moments.

Friday evening had turned out okay, with a dinner and a show in the hotel. They had both quickly agreed on the show, knowing full well that it would steal two hours from the few they had. But the show had given them the chance not to talk, not to think about what was wrong, had given them two hours in which to laugh together, pretending everything was all right. And they'd had something to talk about afterward, when they'd lain in bed, both unwanting to sleep, but loath to have another try at intimacies.

'Is this what happens to relationships after a while? Is this what is inevitable, what breaks people in the long run, what makes them search for different kinds of fulfilment, for lovers, for hobbies?' Miyuki sadly asked herself. And couldn't find an answer in her limited universe of relationships. What experience did she have? None, neither first- nor second-hand.

Her parents, in their arranged marriage, got along and never considered changing anything, as it would bring shame to the family. They each found their solace, her father in women, her mother in chocolates and volunteer work. But both had a sad, defeated look in their eyes that had frightened Miyuki beyond belief from early childhood on. Until St. Miator, she'd never known anything different. She'd thought it was normal, something that came with growing up. Her parents had never helped her or her brother experience the wonders of childhood, the fantasy, the magic.

Every time they'd tried to go on adventures in their minds, her parents had brought them quickly down to Earth again. There were no princesses, queens, princes, kings, and knights, no witches, no ghosts, no unicorns like in the books she'd so loved to read until her mother had confiscated them, saying they were no good. After she'd seen what kind of pictures Miyuki had drawn after reading. She grinned through her tears, remembering the horrified look on her mother's face as 7-year-old Miyuki explained the picture she'd drawn after reading Sleeping Beauty. The princess, kissing her fairytale Godmother, as the prince was tangled in the hedges around the castle.

She'd never understood why a princess should want for a prince. Her father had always been cruel in cropping her emotions, slashing through her dreams, ripping up her plans. And in the beatings she'd received. Her brother had been on the receiving end of the same treatment, but was allowed to vent his frustration on his older sister.

Then, she'd come to St. Miator. She'd met Shizuma, had met Hanazono Masahiro. Had seen the respect with which he had always treated his daughter. Had seen how Shizuma was certain she could do whatever she wanted because she'd been raised learning that not even the sky was a limit to her dreams and fantasies. Had seen how Masahiro had reacted when his headstrong daughter had confronted him with her homosexuality, how they'd worked out their differences to reach a calm acceptance, and later even approval of each other: How they'd grown.

Miyuki had always dreamed of having some sort of relationship in her life similar to that which Masahiro and Shizuma shared. They were partners, locked together in the misery of losing a loved one early on, causing Shizuma to grow up faster than she should have. There was so much respect between those two.

She had thought she and Tamao could be that. Partners who loved and respected one another, giving each one room for dreams and individuality, but also to stick together through good times and hardship.

When had it started to go wrong?

Saturday, they'd spent the day in the hotel's spa, relaxing, enjoying the treatments, swimming in the pool, sitting in the whirlpool, arm in arm, checking out the sauna, drinking fruit juices at the bar. The tenderness, the quiet, gentle, loving tone had returned, and Miyuki had heaved silent sighs of relief.

Last night, they'd made love again. The spark had been back, the passion stronger. But every time Miyuki had closed her eyes, she had seen flashes of silver hair, emerald eyes, a teasing smile and had heard the seductive timbre of a husky voice certainly not Tamao's. She'd tried to escape, had fought to keep her mind on Tamao. But the further she'd slipped into the sensations her body was experiencing, the harder it had become to stay focused. And when her body finally twitched in her release, she'd bitten her lip not to call out her best friend's name.

"I feel guilty, so awfully guilty." she whispered under her breath as another cascade of tears left her burning eyes.

She had taken Tamao back to Astrea Hill earlier today, the drive there rather quiet after the strange weekend. Standing at the gate, an uncomfortable silence had stretched, until Miyuki had finally said that it might be better not see each other for a while, until life became a bit less stressful. Tamao had stared at her, a strange look in her eyes.

"I agree we shouldn't see each other for a while, but I wish you'd be more honest." the young girl had said, picking up her bag. "You talk in your sleep." With that, she'd turned and gone up to the school.

Miyuki had called after her, but Tamao hadn't turned around. The young woman had sighed heavily, climbed into her car, and had driven off. She'd dreamed of Shizuma the night before and could well imagine what Tamao had heard.

When she'd gotten home, the apartment had been empty.

Miyuki had gone straight to her room, crawling into bed, trying to figure out what was going wrong.

She was busy, yes. So was Tamao. But that couldn't be it, could it? That didn't explain why Shizuma always crossed her mind. And that one night with Shizuma couldn't be it, either. Could it?

Miyuki sighed. Maybe Hiro was right and she was jealous of all those women Shizuma was spending her nights with.

She closed her eyes and imagined Shizuma kissing Toya. It hurt. It hurt like a burning knife slicing through her flesh.

Her thoughts went back to the night she and Shizuma had ended up in bed. Even though her memory was fogged by alcohol, it had been wonderful. Enough to want more. Enough to want all the silver-haired woman had to give.

'I never stopped loving Shizuma,' Miyuki admitted to herself. 'And during our road trip and then living with her here, it only became worse.'

She dropped onto her back and pushed her hair out of her face. 'I can't believe I only realized it now. I can't believe I'm doing this to Tamao and me. And I can't believe I never got over Shizuma. I should know by now that she's no good for me.'

She sighed heavily. It seemed that life was on a cycle. An endless cycle. She fell for Shizuma, Shizuma had numerous affairs, then she fell for someone who wasn't Miyuki, Miyuki got over it, Shizuma's relationship ended, Miyuki helped her get over it, falling for her again in the process, and Shizuma went back to picking up women. It had started in their second year in Astrea, with Aneko, had gone on with Kaori, and the last one so far was Nagisa.

'I'm always the one to pick up the pieces of her broken heart, but never the one allowed to mend it for good. I just do the clean up, hurting myself in the process. But I guess that's what friends are for. And I am her friend. Come to think of it, I'm also the woman she's been loyal to, in a way. Our friendship has never been at stake. But I've always wanted more than friendship.'

The apartment door opened and closed.

"Miyuki? Are you home?"

"I'm in my room!"

Shizuma entered and dropped onto the bed next to Miyuki.

"How was your weekend with Tamao?"

Miyuki looked at her friend curiously. This question was unusual. Normally, she'd have come in and gone on about her wonderful time with whoever she'd been with.

"It wasn't all that great. Actually, we decided not to see each other for a while."

"Oh, that doesn't sound good at all. What happened?"

"We agreed that we're too busy to have this long-distance relationship. Maybe we'll have more time later on and pick it up again." She blushed slightly, telling this half-truth and deciding that she seriously needed to talk to Tamao soon, to clean up the "you-talk-in-your-sleep"-mess. But she didn't know what to tell her girlfriend.

Should she tell Tamao that Shizuma made her pulse race just by sitting next to her? That looking at those lips made her want to kiss them like there was no tomorrow? That the only thing she could think of when she looked at the cool designer outfit was what the fabric was veiling? And knowing at the same time that all of these thoughts and feelings were completely pointless because there never would be anything more than friendship between her and the silver-haired beauty. But still, her feelings were strong enough to inhibit her relationship with Tamao, enough to fill her mind during the day and her dreams at night.

"Oh, Miyuki, I'm sorry." Shizuma hugged her best friend tightly. "You must feel awful."

"Yes…I do feel…awful." A bigger lie couldn't be told, feeling Shizuma so close and jolts of pleasure stronger than any Tamao had evoked all weekend coursing through her body. She pulled away before it became too much.

"How was your weekend with Toya? I didn't really expect you home until tomorrow after class."

Shizuma sighed heavily. "It was okay, I guess. But this random sex is so empty. It helped a while after Nagisa left, but it's not what I want. And I'm sick of always giving. Most girls want me to bed them, to experience a wonderful night. I give them what they want, but there's nothing in return. They don't even seem interested in giving anything back."

She buried her head in her hands. "For some reason, I thought Toya would be different. She is definitely more experienced than the others, but she also just wanted to take, all weekend. I feel so empty, like I have nothing more to give."

Miyuki slipped an arm around her friend.

"Well, if it's just a one-night stand, they probably don't have the incentive to give. I mean, you tend to come on real strong, sweeping them off their feet, so to speak. You're in control from the beginning, and they go along with it. But that means you're in control all the time. So it makes sense that you end up giving much more and receiving much less."

"You're right. But in my relationship with Nagisa, it was just the same." She sighed again. "I spent a lot of time this weekend thinking about the night you and me spent together, after going to the bar."

Miyuki stared at her, not daring to believe what she was hearing.

"What about it?" she asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"It was…different. It didn't feel empty. You gave as much as I did." She paused. "I can't really explain it."  
"Shizuma, we were both completely drunk."

The emerald-eyed shrugged. "Doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"I'm just trying to say that your memory might not be all that accurate."

Shizuma thought about that for a moment.

"Maybe you're right. Anyway, you're with Tamao, so you're definitely off limits." She got up. "I'm going to take a shower. How about ordering something for dinner and watching a DVD?"

"Sounds like a plan." After Shizuma had left the room, Miyuki buried her head in her pillow. Had she seriously just blown her chance to have a go with Shizuma?


End file.
